Copyrighted 1906 by H. W. Foght and W. W. Haskell. 




The Author. 



Trail of The Loup 

i* Being <J* 

A History of the Loup River Region 

A* With &* 

Some Chapters on the State 



H. W. Foght, A. M. 



1906 



u^ 



f1 



U8KARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooies Received 

AUG 23 »906 

Coovri^m Entry 
£<?,/$ fit, 

LASS CL XXc, No, 
' COPY B. 



DEDICATION. 



TO 
ALL THOSE 
EARLY "TRAILERS 
OF THE LOUP," LIVING 
AND DEAD, WHO BY THEIR 
INDOMITABLE COURAGE AND ENERGY 
OVERCAME ALL OBSTACLES OF NATURE AND 
REDEEMED FOR CIVILIZATION AND ENLIGHTEN- 
MENT THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF THE 
LOUP, IN ORDER THAT WE, THEIR 
CHILDREN, MIGHT REAP IN 
FULLEST MEASURE 
THE FRUITS OF 
THEIR SOW- 
ING, 

THIS BOOK, 

IS AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED. Bt 

THE AUTHOR; 



Introductory 



Years ago — a quarter century past— the author, then a little chap herd- 
ing cattle in the valley above Ord, according to his daily wont, reclined one 
day in his retreat in a shaded nook on the banks of the river, while his 
charges were left to shift for themselves; and well they might, for was not 
the prairie theirs for miles around ! He dreamed all enrapt in the charm of 
the virgin prairie, dreamed of things yet to be. As he lay there, listening 
to the gurgling, eddying water swishing by, he saw visions and heard 

"... the tread of pioneers 

Of nations yet to be, 
The first low wash of waves where soon 

Shall roll a human sea." 

And they came, those pioneers, and they are as silently leaving us 
again, passing away to the mysterious realm beyond; while the great 
human sea, wave upon wave, rolls over the prairies first trodden by them, 
obliterating their very footprints, making this a new land, almost beyond 
the recognition of the old timers. 

They endured much, those pathfinders, for us their children, that we 
might reap the fruits of their industry and toil. And shall we then repay 
them thus, leaving the history they made, unchronicled, unsung? No: a 
thousand times no! Let it be taken down, that the generations yet unborn 
may know at what a cost "The Trail of the Loup" was blazed, and how the 
fathers suffered and toiled, and even died, that the trail might remain open. 

To write an old settlers' chronicle is at best difficult; and when, as in 
the instance of the North and Middle Loup valleys, no systematic efforts 
have been made to collect and save historic data or to spare from untimely 
destruction historic structures, the task becomes almost impossible. In the 
following pages the author has had to depend, in great part, upon the 
memory of the first settlers. When more than one version of an episode or 
event was offered, the materials were carefully sifted, and the version 
which seemed the most likely made use of. 

I lay no claims to have exhausted this interesting field of investiga- 
tion, but I do claim that I have, in the work as far as it has been carried, 



6 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

stated the facts just as I found them, without fear or favor. This is not a 
partisan history, but the story of a limited section of our commonwealth, 
and, as such, the individual has in every instance been accorded a space 
in the narrative in due proportion to the part played by him. 

Finally, I wish to make grateful acknowledgment to the men and 
women who have assisted in the work by valuable information, freely 
given, and by furnishing photographs and other materials for the illum- 
ination of the text. Special obligation is due Hon. Peter Mortensen, Elder 
Oscar Babcock, Messrs. George McAnulty, David Gard, George Miller, 
Truman Freeland, James Barr, G. J. Rood, W. G. Rood, John Kellogg, 
W. B. Weekes, Jorgen Miller, Tom Hemmett, Will Johns, William S. 
Mattley, Melville Goodenow, W. H. Rood, Mansell Davis, Miss Ina Draver, 
Mrs. George McAnulty, Mrs. A. M. Robbins and Mrs. Emma Haskell. 

HAROLD W. FOGHT. 



Contents. 



CHAPTER I. 

SOME PHYSICAL FEATURES OF NEBRASKA. 

Arch) an Time, Nebraska a Part of the Ocean Bed — Paleozoic Time — 
Nebraska in the Carboniferous Age — Coal in Nebraska — Nebraska in the 
Permian Age — The Mesozoic Time — No Triassic and Jurassic Rocks in 
Nebraska — The Cretaceous Period in Nebraska — All Nebraska Dry Land- 
Groups of Cretaceous Deposits — Cenozoic Time — The Tertiary Age in 
Nebraska — Bad Lands in Nebraska — Picture from Miocene Nebraska — The 
Loup River Pliocene Deposits — The Quaternary Age, the Age of Man — The 
Glacial Period — The Champlain, or Melting Period— Beginning of the End 
— River Bluffs and Terraces — The First Nebraskan — A Resume. 

Situation and Size — General Topography — Nebraska Climate — Health 
and Strength — A Land of Beauty — A Bird's Eye View of Nebraska — Prof. 
Samuel Auglrey's Verdict. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE ABORIGINES. 

Father Marquette and the Nebraska Indians — Marquette's Indian 
Chart — The Pawnees — The Four Great Clans — Lieut. Pike and the Repub- 
lican Pawnees — The Major Stephen H. Long Expedition — Long and the 
Loup Indians — June 12, 1819, on the Loup — The Red Man's Plague — The 
Sioux Sweep down the Loup — The Last of the Pawnees — The Siouan 
Migration— The Sioux, or Dakotahs— Sioux War of 1862-'69— The Chey- 
ennes Become Involved — Magnitude of the Westward Traffic — The Plum 
Creek Massacre — Battle of Summit Springs — Gen. Custer's Massacre, June 
25, 1876— Sioux War of 1890- '91— Present Status of the Sioux. 



CHAPTER III. 

GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY. 

Earliest Glimpses — The "Seven Cities of Cibola" — Coronado Sets out, 
February, 1540 — "The Great Kingdom of Quivera" — Across Kansas into 
Nebraska — Quotations from Francis Lopez' History of the West Indies — 



8 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

A Graphic Description of the Buffalo — Quivera in Nebraska? — Coronado's 
Letter Locating Quivera — Judge Jas. W. Savage on the Question — Was 
Quivera ou the Loup? — Mounds and other Signs on the North Loup — Lewis 
and Clarke in Nebraska; July 13 to Sept. 5, 1804; Aug. 31 to Sept. 11, 1806 
— Other Pathfinders in Nebraska, — The Old Mormon Trail— Mormon Set- 
tlers on the Lower Loup — Importance of the Gold Fever to Nebraska — The 
Louisiana Purchase, Apr. 30, 1803 — Slavery Agitation — Slavery forever 
Prohibited in Nebraska — Lawlessness in the Territory — The Compromise 
of 1850 — The Kansas Nebraska Bill, 1854 — Shaping the State — Territorial 
Government organized — Census of 1854 — The Territorial Capital Fight — 
Nebraska Gains Her Statehood — The Making of the State — Educational 
Factors — Agriculture — Stock Raising — Political Nebraska. 



CHAPTER IV. 

GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LOUP VALLEY. 

The North Loup from a Car Window in 1904 — The Dream of Empire 
Has Come true — Why These Pages Were Written — Limits of the North 
Loup Valley — The North Loup River; Its Falls — -The Sand Hills once again 
— Valley County in Outline— Alkali Spots not Frequent— Preparing for 
the Pioneer— The Cedar Canyons— Some Important Native Grasses — Why 
the Buffalo Grass is Disappearing — The Buffalo in the Valley— Herds of 
Elk — Numbers of Antelope and Deer — The Only Bear — Other Denizens of 
the Wild. 



CHAPTER V. 

COWBOY REGIME AND FORERUNNERS OF CIVILIZATION. 

Bloody Pages of History — How the Valley Escaped the Cowboy Regime 
— The Cowboy and the Settler — Two Causes of the Cattlemen's Complaint 
— Murder and Burning of Mitchell and Ketchum— Trouble between the 
Olives and Ketchum — Death of Bob Olive — The Cold Blooded Murder at 
Devil's Canyon — How the Assassins were Captured — Trial and Conviction 
of I. P. Olive and Fred Fisher — Vengeance at Last. 

Surveying the Valley, 1868-'70 — "Happy Jack," Hunter, Scout and 
Friend— "Happy Jack" in 1904— Geo. McAnulty's Sketch of "Little Buck- 
shot" — "Buckshot" Comes to the Loup. 



CHAPTER VI. 

COMING OF THE PIONEERS. 

The Trail of the Loup— Founding of "Athens," ur St. Paul— "The 
Danish Land and Homestead Colony" Founds Dannebrog— The Seventh Day 
Baptists, Their First Committee— The Voluntary Second Committee— Ex- 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 9 

tracts from W. H. Rood's Diary— Crossing Nebraska— Advancing up the 
North Loup— Game Seems Plentiful— First Actual Settlement in Valley 
County— Mortensen, Miller, Anderson and Smith "Trecking" to Valley 
County— Camping on "Raccoon Creek"— Settlement of Section Eight, Ord 
Township— Peter Mortensen's Dugout; Hostelry, School House, Court 
House— Occupations of the First Summer— "Mell" Goodenow's First 
Square Meal in Valley County— Christian Prey's Adventure with the "In- 
dians"— "Det Var da som Pokker"— The Seventh Day Baptists Reach the 
Site of North Loup— Elder Babcock Conducts the First Religious Services 
Held in the Valley— Some of the Early Homesteaders— A Faithful Band 
—Preparing for the First Winter—The Dane Creek Colony Strengthened 
— Falle Moller and Family Arrive— Coming of the Post Clan and other 
Frontiersmen— Everyday Life in the Settlement— "Mell" Goodenow Gets 
His Start— Mortensen's First Pig; Its Sad End— The Settlement Across 
the River— Charles H. Jones Tells His Story— Arrival at Jones Canyon, 
Nov 10, 1872— Nucleus of Garfield County Settlement. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ORGANIZATION OF VALLEY COUNTY ; EARLY POLITICS. 

Valley County and the Organic Act of March 1, 1871 — The First Elec- 
tion in Valley County, March 1, 1873 — Resolutions — Certificate of Election 
— Early Commissioners' Meetings — First Tax Levy — First Ten County War- 
ants — Squabble over Militia Accoutrements — Odds and Ends — The Ord 
Bridge Struggle on — How the Injunction Failed— The Sheriff Arrives too 
Late— Cost of First River Bridge— The County Pays $1200.00 for a Small 
Safe. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873. 

The Restless, Thieving Sioux — Battle of Sioux Creek, March 1, 1873— 
The Men Who Went and how They Were Armed— Hot on the Indian Trail 
— Face to Face with the Foe — A Hasty Retreat — Counting Losses — Captain 
Mix on a Scouting Expedition — Mortensen on the Indian Raids — Emma 
Haskell Describes an Indian Scare. 

Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873 — The Storm Breaks— Losses in the 
Upper Valley — Losses in Howard County — Tragic Death of Mrs. Cooper 
and Daughter Lizzie — Dillon Haworth and Family Freeze to Death. 



CHAPTER IX. 

INDIANS AND GRASHOPPERS. 

Crops in 1873— The Battle of Pebble Creek, Jan. 19, 1874— Richard 



10 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

McClimans' House Attacked — Looting the Trappers' Cabin — Council of 
War — The Battle Is on — Death of Marion Littletield. 

Breeding Grounds of the Migrating Locust — Our First Locust Year — 
How They Migrate — Some Exceptional Locust Years — The Locusts Reach 
the Loup , July, 1874 — Times to Try Men's Souls. 



CHAPTER X. 

FORT HARTSUFF. 

The Several Appropriations for Port Hartsuff — Erection of Fort Hart- 
suff a Fortunate Circumstance — Ruin Wrought in the Cedar Canyons — 
Hartsuff a Fort in Name only — Who the Commanders Were — The Fort 
Abandoned May 1, 1881 — Some Good Citizens early Identified with Army 
Life. 



CHAPTER XI. 

VILLAGE ORGANIZATION. 

How North Loup Was Organized— First Two Schools in the County — 
North Loup Platted — Growth and Later History— The Ord Townsite Com- 
pany, 1875 — The Court House Proposition — The Beginnings of Ord — Fur- 
ther Accessions to the Town's Growth — Ambitious Calamus — Records and 
Affidavits — Rise and Fall of Vinton — Ord, a Strong Business Center — 
Quotations from Andreas's History of Nebraska — Ord has "Git." etc. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE MIDDLE LOUP AND ARCADIA 

First Comers to the Middle Loup — Some Early Hardships — The Post 
Office Named — The First School and Its Teacher — The School Bond Fiasco 
—The Criminal Trial in Mortensen's Dugout — George McKellar Convicted 
of Murder — John Wall's Advent to Arcaaia — Early Arcadia — Hard Times 
A'knocking at the Door — Arcadia in 1905 — Lee's Park Settled in 1874 — 
J. L. H. Knight on Lee's Park— Early Settlers— The First Post Office— 
The Town of Lee Park. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY. 

A Resume — The Battle of the Blow-out, May, 1876 — Death of Sergeant 
Dougherty — C. H. Jones'Version of the Battle — Some Timid Settlers Leave 
— Better Times a-coming — Wheeler County Organized, Apr. 11, 1881 — First 
Election, Dec 30, 1884— Second Election, Jan. 30, 1885— Willow Springs 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 11 

Declared the County Seat — Last Act in the County Seat Drama — Affidavits 
and Minutes— Burwell Made the County Seat, Feb. 18, 1890— The Combat- 
ants Bury the Hatchet— C. H. Jones Tells the Story of the County Seat 
Contest — Origin of the Name Burwell — Building the Town — Prosperity 
Comes to Burwell' — The Future and Garfield County. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

LOUP COUNTY AND ITS POSSIBILITIES. 

The Pathfinders — D. A. Gard and Others Arrive — Making Three Hun- 
dred Mile Trips for Flour and Groceries — School District No. 9— Other Set- 
tlers Spread from Kent tu Moulton — Loup County Organized in 1883 — The 
Building of Taylor — Taylor Made the Permanent County Seat, July 23, 
1883 — Hard Years in Loup County — What Alfalfa, Bromegrass and English 
Blue Grass Will Do for Loup County — Statistics — Descripton by Town- 
ships. 



CHAPTER XV. 

SCOTIA AND HER BUILDERS. 

The Oldest Settlers Arrive — The County Organized ; Scotia Made the 
County Seat— Irish Catholics at O'Connor — The Railroads and the County 
Seat — The B. and M. and Greeley Center — The County Seat Goes to Greeley 
— Immediate Effect on Scotia — Scotia's Future. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY. 

Approach of a Prairie Fire — The Beautiful October Day in 1878 — Ter- 
rible Death of Albert Cottrell by Fire — Widespread Ruin in the Valley — 
A Scarred and Suffering Community- Cause of Hailstorms in our Valley — 
The Destructive Hailstorm of Aug. 5, 1885— The Ord Quiz Tells the Story 
— The Storm at Calamus — Notes from over the Affected District — The 
Cyclone — Widespread Destruction in the Blizzard of January 12. 1888 — The 
Storm — Instances of Suffering — Mrs. Powell at Hard Scrabble — Minnie 
Freeman at Midvale— Views on Hero-worship — The Whole Truth in a Nut- 
shell — "Give Honor to Whom Honoris Due" — Tbe Burwell Tornado of 
Friday Evening, Sept. 15, 1905 — The Storm Breaks — Frank Hennich's Ex- 
perience — Miraculous Escape of the Hanna Family — Sad Death of Mrs. E- 
B. McKinney — Last of tne Star Store — The Storm Retraces Its Course — 
In the Country Districts — The Relief Committee at Work — -Odds and Ends 
— Some Miraculous Escapes — Freaks of the Storm — An Estimate of Losses. 



12 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

CHAPTER XVII. 

CHANGES DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS. 

Elections in Valley County by Years — Drawing Party Lines — The 
County Adopts the Supervisor System — The Fight on Clerk in 1895 — The 
New Office of Clerk of District Court — Valley County again in the Repub- 
lican Column — Influence of Railroads upon Settlement — Our Mail and Stage 
Lines — Mail Movements — Ord and North Loup Vote to Secure the Railroad 
—The Railroad Celebration Meeting— The B. & M. Builds into the Valley 
in 1887 — "Railroad Racket'-" — Some Results of the Coming — Arcadia Gets 
the B. & M. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE NEWSPAPER AND THE VALLEY. 

The Printing Press in the Loup Valley — First Newspapers in Valley 
County — The Valley County Journal Established, March , 1879 — The First 
Opposition Paper — The Ord Quiz almost Twenty-five Years Old — The 
Standard and the Democratic Press — The Star and The Blizzard; Prohi- 
bition Papers — The Ord Journal and The Independent; Populist Papers — 
Other Changes in the Journal Management — The Real Estate Register and 
The Valley County Times — North Loup Newspapers — The Loyalist — The 
Arcadia Papers — The Arcadia Champion — Early Newspapers in Garfield 
County — A Mixed Newspaper History — Genesis of the Tribune — Loup 
County Newspaoers — Scotia's Newspaper History. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE CRITICAL PERIOD IN LOUP VALLEY HISTORY. 

The Nebraska Grangers — Fight to Collect the B. & M. Taxes — Strin- 
gent Money and Low Prices — The Dull Years 1875 and 1876 — Immigration 
to the Loup in 1878 and 1879— The Prosperous Decade 1880- '90— Land 
Grabbing in the Early 80's — Real Estate Speculation in Our Valley — The 
First Diy Year, '90 — The Critical Period in Loup Valley History Begins— 
The Hard Years a Blessing in Disguise — The Great Drought Year, 1894 — 
A New Cycle of Good C'ops and Prosperity Ushered in — What the Hard 
Years Have Taught Us — Prosperity. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO OPENED "THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP:* 7 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE MAKING THE HISTORY OF THE LOUP VALLEY. 



List of Illustrations. 



Frontispiece. 

The Author. 
Chapter I. 

Toadstool Park, Nebraska Bad Lands. 

A Seventy Five Foot Mosasaurus. 

Tusks of a Mammoth from Gosper County. 

Jurassic Stegosaurus, 

Nebraska Forest of Late Cretaceous Times. 

Titanotherium Robustum from Sioux County. 

Fine Loess Formation in Garfield County. 
Chapter II. 

Roam Chief and Yellow Hair. 

Pawnee Village. 

Pawnee Ceremonial Lodge. 

Rosebud Sioux Group. 

Sioux Mother and Babe. 
Chapter III. 

One of the "Seven Cities of Cibola." 

Quivera Monument, Junction City, Kas. 

Nebraska Territory in 1854. 

Nebraska Territory from 1861 to 1863. 

First Dwelling in Lincoln, 1867. 
Chaptfr IV. 

Section of Jones' Canyon. 

A View Taken in Olsen's Canyon. 

Road in Olsen's Canyon. 

Falls of the North Loup River. 

A "Blow-out" in the Sand Hills. 

In Its Native Wilds. 
Chapter V. 

Old Mitchell Ranch House in Custer County. 

Conrad Went worth or "Little Buckshot." 

The Last Buffalo in the North Loup Valley. 

Elk at Play near "The Forks." 

Garfield County Hunters. 



14 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Chapter VI. 

Historic Map of the Loup Region. 

H. C. Rood, Member Locating Committee. 

Founders of the Danish Colony in Valley County. 

Peter Mortensen's Dugout (Reproduced). 

Elder Oscar Babcock of North Loup. 

Marilla Flynn, the First White Girl in the Upper Valley. 
Chapter VII. 

Precinct Map of Early Valley County. 

Township Map of Valley County. 

Daniel Cooley Bailey, First County Commissioner, at 85 years of 
Age. 

Dr. Charles Badger, First County Superintendent. 

The First Frame House in Valley County, 1872. 

Mr. and Mrs. William Hobson, First Couple Licensed to Marry in 
Valley County. 

Chapter VIII. 

The Battle of Sioux Creek from an Original Water Color. 

D. C Bailey's First Home. 

Clifton Hill from the Distance. 

A Typical Sod House. 

The Original Dowhower Log-House. 

Chapter IX. 

George McAnulty, Indian Fighter and Pioneer. 

A Second View of Jones' Canyon. 

Tom Hemmett as He Looked in the Seventies. 

A Hand-to-hand Encounter. 
Chapter X. 

Fort Hartsuff, taken from the Hills. 

Fort Hartsuff, taken from "Skunk Hollow." 

r 

Emma and George Alderman Rescued by Soldiers. 
Chapter XI. 

The Beginnings of North Loup, 1878. 

Plat of North Loup. 

Joseph Green on His Way to North Loup in 1872. 

The Founders of Ord. 

Original Town Plat. 

Plans of First Court House. 

S. S. Haskell, the Father of Ord. 

Plat of Calamus. 

Plat of Vinton. 
Chapter XII. 

First Extant View of Arcadia. 

Hon. M. L. Fries of Arcadia. 

Hon. A. E . Bartoo of Arcadia. 




Ord in 1887. 



T E TRAIL OF THE LOUP 15 

Chapter XIII. 

Early Precinct Mr. of Garfield County. 

View of the River near Burwell. 

William Draver's Original Log House. 

Cartoons from the County Seat Fight. 

Plat of the Defunct Cedar City. 

Plat of Burwell. 

Typical Burwell Homes. 
Chapter XIV 

Early Precinct Map of Loup County. 

Landscape in Loup County. 

Ho£f-Ranch in Loup County. 

Chapter XV. 

Map of Scotia and Vicinity. 

Greeley County's First Settler. 

Plat of Scotia. 

David Moore of Scotia. 

The Hillman Family. 

Bishop James O'Connor. 
Chapter XVI. 

The Prairie Fire. 

Minnie Freeman, Heroine. 

Midvale School House. • 

Old Settler's Meeting. 
Chapter XVII. 

Newspaper Cartoon. 

Report of the Election. 

Court House Spuare, Ord, in 1890. 

Andrew J. Gillespie, Sr., the Centenarian of the Valley. 

"Railroad Racket." 

The Largest Ear of Corn ever Grown In the Loup. 
Chapter XVIII. 

Ord in 1887. 

John R. Williams's Home at Ord. 

Street Scene in Burwell. 

Public School Building, Burwell. 

White Towers, Home of A. M. Daniels, Ord. 

Cedar Lawn Farm. 
Chapter XIX. 

Ord in 1905. 

"The Evergreens," Home of Dr. F. D. Haldeman, Ord. 

Block of Houses under Constructiun, Ord. 

Hon. Tom Doran's New Home, Burwell. 

Other Burwell Homes. 



16 THE TRATL OF THE LOUP 

Home of Vincent Kokes, Ord. 

Wisconsin Colonists at North Loup. 
Chapter XX. 

Photographic Likenesses of Old Trailers. 
Chapter XXI. 

Photographic Likenesses of Present Day Business Men. 



PART I. 



Some Physical Features of Nebraska. 



CHAPTER 1. 

"To me it seems, that to look on the first land that was ever lifted above the wasted 
waters, to follow the shore where the earliest animals and plants were created when the 
thought of God first expressed itself in organic forms, to hold in one's hand a bit of stone 
from an old sea-beach, hardened into rock thousands of centuries ago, and studded with 
the beings that once crept upon its surface or were stranded there by some retreating 
wave, is even of deeper interest to man, than the relics of their own race, for these 
things tell more directly of the thought and creative acts of God. — Jean Louis Agassiz. 

IT DOES not come within the scope of this work to dwell at any length 
upon the evolution of our state from the primal rock. Such a discus- 
sion, while interesting in the extreme, belongs rather to the field of science 
than to that of history; the space herein allotted it is therefore necessarily 
somewhat limited. Particularly is this true since the bulk of the text is in- 
tended to narrate the story not so much of Nebraska as a whole, as the living, 
throbbing history of a limited section of the state— the Loup Valley. How- 
ever, a passing glance at the geological structure of Nebraska may not be 
altogther out of place. 

In the aeons of time since Creation, our planet, the Earth, has passed 
through many marvelous changes. At first a companion star to the Sun, 
blazing a path through the universe, cooling gradually, its enshrouding 
mantle of vapors condensing to water, the Earth became involved in a uni- 
versal, shoreless ocean. Then countless ages slowly slioped away ; the first 
folds of contracting firerock-crust of the earth appeared, and we had the 
first dry land. In the Western World the wedge-shaped Laurentian High- 
lands, approaching the shores of Hudson Bay, had appeared, and strips of 
land were slowly emerging to the east of the present Appalachians, and in 
the western part of the United States stretching from Colorado to Cali- 
fornia. This was during the so-called Archian Time — the dawn of earth- 
building. And all through this immense age, as far as we know, Nebraska 
formed a part of the bed of a turbulent ocean. 

Now followed the Paleozoic (Ancient Life) Time during which the land 



18 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

areas were gradually enlarged, and myriad forms of strange organisms 
appeared. Geologists usually divide this aeon into three distinct ages: 
The Age of Invertebrates — subdivided into the Upper and Lower Silurian 
Eras— when numberless Sponges, Corals, Starfishes, Molluska and other 
strange animal types dominated the ocean depths, and a few terrestrial 
plants appeared; the Age of Fishes, or Devonian Era, when the ocean 
swarmed with sharks, gar-pikes and turtlelike placoderms of huge size; and 
the Carboniferous Age — subdivided into Subcarboniferous, Carboniferous 
and Permian Eras — when coal plants grew and the coal measures were 
formed. 

During neither the Age of Invertebrates nor the succeeding age of 
Fishes did dry land appear in Nebraska. Vast land stretches had however 
been added to the Archian backbone and numerous islands dotted the pres- 
ent states of Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa. 

The Subcarboniferous Era, too, must be passed over as unproductive so 
far as Nebraska is concerned. But we now approach the Carboniferous 
Age proper, of absorbing interest because then did the first dry land appear 
in Nebraska, and because during its progress were the greatest and most 
valuable coal measures formed. 

That the Era was of great duration there cannot be the slightest doubt. 
"A murky, cloudy atmosphere, surcharged with carbon-dioxide gas, envel- 
oped the earth and gave it a uniform hothouse temperature. A vegetation 
remarkable in its luxuriance sprang up. Conifers much akin to the Araucan- 
ian pines of present day equatorial regions flourished and ferns of surpass- 
ing grace and beauty grew to the size of mighty trees." The American 
Continent over its broad surface was now just balancing itself near the 
water's edge, part of the time bathing in it and then out in the free air. 
From Pennsylvania to eastern Nebraska and central Kansas, it presented a 
changing view "of vast jungles, lakes with floating grove islands, and some 
dry-land forests." Vast amounts of vegetable debris accumulated, form- 
ing peat beds of varying; depths. 

The era of verdure then gradually drew to a close. A general settling 
of vast land areas took place and salt water by degrees submerged the low 
lands, destroying every vestige of the late prolific vegetation. Thus, we 
may picture the old peat-marsh, with its bottom full of stumps and roots 
in position as they grew, with its surface covered over with heaps of leaves, 
branches and prostrate tree trunks, to have been overwhelmed and buried. 
Subjected to enormous pressure from accumulating top sediment and 
slow chemical change, it, in time, became one of the several coal measures. 
Alternate submergance and emergance of the surface crust readily explains 
the alternation, in these rockbeds, of coal seams with layers of sandstones, 
conglomerate, shales, clays and limestones. The second and largest coal 
measures of this age extends from Texas and Arkansas northward through 
Kansas and Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. The westward boundary is 
near the central part of Kansas, and crosses the state line into Nebraska 
near the banks of the Blue River, whence it takes a northeasterly trend, 



20 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



leaving the state in southern Washington county. It will thus be seen 
that part or the whole of some twelve counties in our state overlie these in- 
teresting beds. In Richardson county a workable stratum has been en- 
countered, though borings at Lincoln and other places seem to indicate 
that profitable mines should not be looked for in Nebraska. 
The closing period of the Paleozoic aeon was the Per- 
mian Age, in which the ocean once more prevailed, though 
with gradually contracting limits. The greater part of Ne- 
braska was yet a part of the ocean bed, covered by turbulent 
waters. On stormy days the breakers must have roared 
along the shore and hurled their spray against the limestone 
cliffs now marked by a line drawn from Beatrice in Gage 
county to Blair in Washington county. Some fifteen of our 
present day counties in southeast Nebraska had by this time 
lifted their surface above the waters; all else were engulfed 
in the briny deep. 

The Permian Age is in reality a transition period which 
ushers in the next great aeon of time, the Mesozoic or 
Middle Life. This is also called the Era of Reptiles "for nev- 
er in the history of the earth were reptiles so abundant, of 
such size and variety, or so highly organized as then." The 
era includes three periods: 1. The Triassic, so named for 
the triple rockbeds in Germany; 2. The Jurassic, named 
after the Jura Mountains in Prance; 3. The Cretaceous, from 
the Latin creta, chalk, referring to the formation of large 
chalk beds in England and continental Europe. 

Careful examination of the rock strata of our state fails 
to disclose the least trace of a Juro-Triassic deposit. Tne 
probable explanation of this fact seems to be that this region 
had now, all of it, by some upward movement of the earth, 
become dry land. The continental sea had retired to Kan- 
sas on the south and Colorado on the west. The indications 
are that Nebraska then drained westward, emptving- her 
surface water into Colorado, where flood-time deposits of 
Triassic and Jurassic land fossils are>ow to be sought. 
If the above supposition is correct, it stands to reason that 
the deposits of the age, which were all of them submarine, 
could not have been formed in Nebraska, hence we find our 
Permian rocks directly overlaid by rocks of the Cretaceous 
period. 

During these numberless centuries of dry land existence 
in Nebraska, 



'On either side 
Was level fen, a prospect wild and wide, 
With dykes on either hand, by ocean self-supplied. 
For on the right the distant ocean was seen. 
And salt the springs that fed the marsh between.' 



A seventy-five foot 
Mosasaurus from 
the Cretaceous beds 
of Kansas. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 



21 



And yet the marsh was slowly becoming upland, though the climate 
was still moist and warm. A tropical vegetation of myriad species of giant 
ferns and noble cycads again clad the land with brilliant hues. These im- 
mense thickets and forests teemed with animal life. Most striking were 
the giant Brontosaurus of the Wyoming fossil beds, often measuring 60 
feet in length ; the Atlantosaurus, which reached the phenomenal length 
of 80 feet; and the lately dicovered gigantic Stegosaurus, remarkable for a 
series of huge bony plates mounted along the back. As if these curious 
creatures were not enough to give character to the time we find uncanny, 
birdlike reptiles, pterosaurs, swarming the upper air and adding much to 
this the strangest and most interesting of faunas. 




Nebraska forest of late Cretaceous times. 

The Cretaceous period marks the beginning of the end of the Mesozoic 
Era. A general subsidence now set in which seems to have embraced even 
the Rocky Mountain region. The latter, together with the eastward-lying 
plain, was once more brought to the water level. A marine bay broke 
northward from the Gulf of Mexico and, before the middle of the period, 
covered Texas. Indian Territory, part of Kansas the western half of Nebras- 
ka, and much territory lying northwestward. 

Thus the Rocky Mountain nucleus was again reduced to groups 
of islands, as in Paleozoic times, and all western Nebraska 



22 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



was once more, tho now for the last time, a part of the ocean 
bed. 'Toward the later part of the period the continent slowly rose again 
and the great western internal sea was narrowed and made shallow, the 
connection between the Gulf ana the Arctic Seas was interrupted, lakes 
of fresh water, bays and swamps with brakish water, took the place of the 
ocean, and vast quantities of vegetable matter were formed in the marshes 
of this closing epoch.' But this was more than a period of emergance; 
indeed a great geologic revolution was preparing. From the plains on the 
east to the Wasatch, the entire Rocky Mountain region was thrown into a 
series of earth folds; the crust was bent and the mountain system, as we 
have it today, was lifted up, getting a drainage seaward. Nebraska now 
faced eastward, a part of the continental plain. 




Tusks of Mammoth excavated in Gosper County, and now in the Museum 
of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 

The Cretaceous deposits in Nebraska are of vast extent and import- 
ance. For convenience the strata have been classified into the following 
groups: The Dakota, extending from near Dakota City, where many out- 
croppings are to be found, in a south-westerly direction, underlying practi- 
cally every part of the state; the Fort Benton Group, lying conformably on 
the Dakota Group in the eastern part of the state; the Niobrara Group, ex- 
tending from the mouth of the Niobrara River, dipping under the central 
portion of the state and reappearing again in the southwest in Harlan 
county; the Fort Pierre Group lying above the Niobrara deposits, cropping 
out in Knox county and other places; the Laramie Group, exposed in 
southwestern counties. 

These beds comprise various clays, chalks and sandstones, and are rich 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 



23 



in finds of fossil leaves and remains of animal life. Thus several hundred 
species of ferns, cycads and conifers have been counted, and some hundred 
or more reptile forms, ranging in size from twelve to seventy-five feet are 
known to have existed. 

The last great aeon in geological history is now at hand. This is the 
Cenozoic Time, or Era of Modern Life. A higher vegetation makes its ap- 
pearance and the great reptiles are rapidly giving way to higher species of 
animal life— the mammals. For convenience this aeon is divided into two 
ages, the Tertiary and the Quaternary. 

The Tertiary Age embraces three epochs, the Eocene, the Miocene and 
the Pliocene. Of these only the latter two are represented in Nebraska. 
Frum oui discussion above it will be borne in mind that over the western 
part of the continent the region of marine waters was past. The Rocky 
Mountain revolution had left the Great Plains a part of the continent. But 




Jurassic Stagosaurus which flourished in Wyoming and Colorado while 
Nebraska was an inland sea. It measured from 25 to 30 feet in length 

this plain was yet very near the sea level, the proof of which is found in 
the existence of vast lakes of fresh water botn east and west of the Rocky 
Mountain range. These were not, however, contemporaneous, but succeed- 
ed one another as the age proceeded. Thus, in Nebraska we find no trace 
of Eocene lake beds. Conditions were on the other hand quite changed 
during Miocene times; for then a freshwater lake covered much of the 
western part of the state, receiving the drainage of the rivers that now have 
their outlet in the Missouri. Into this lake bed were carried broken down 
materials from the Rocky Mountain axis and the Black Hills, and from the 
higher lying Juro-Triassic and Cretaceous deposits. Hither, too, were 
gathered, as in an immense cemetery, remnants of all the vegetable and 
animal life of the epoch. A gradual uplifting of strata has left these lake 
bottoms high and dry. Erosion too has changed their contour much, cut- 
ting valleys, leaving cliffs and buttes in endless variety. 

These Mauvais Terres of the French trapper, or "Bad Lands" are today 



24 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



clearly defined in the White River Country of northwestern Nebraska, and 
covers hundreds of square miles in southwestern South Dakota and north- 
eastern Wyoming. The writer has personally inspected these regions, and 
nowhere is the story of the past told in more forcible language than in this 
vast graveyard. Banks full of fossil bones, baccolites, huge petrified tor- 
toises, and fossil leaves tell the story of how Nebraska looked in those 
times. Magnolias, oaks, palms, figs, maples, lindens and pines grew in 
wild luxuriance, and the giant sequoias of California grew on every hill. 
Indeed, a semi-tropical vegetation stretched far away towards the Pole. 
Droves of Miocene horses frequented the lake shores, the ancestral hog 
wallowed in the bogs, flocks of monkeys chattered in the treetops, and plain 
and forest were the haunt and breeding ground of droves of huge masta- 




Titanotherium Robustum from the Sioux County Bad Lands. When full grown 
it measured 14 feet in length and 8 feet in height at the shoulders. 

dons and wicked-eyed rhinoceroces and tapirs. Such were then the Ma-koo- 
si-tcha, or hard-lands-to travel over, as the Sioux nomad has seen fit to dps- 
ignate these reigons. 

The Pliocene Epoch of the Tertiary Age is marked by a general enlarge- 
ment of the old Miocene lake bed, particularly eastward and south westward. 
The Pliocene strata in Nebraska far outreach the Miocene and are, on this 
account, found to overlie the Cretacious from the central counties east. 
These beds were of considerable thickness but thin out eastward since the 
bulk of the materials forming them came from the mountains. Much of 
the Pliocene material is exceedingly coarse. Beds of conglomerate rock, 
made up "of waterworn pebbles, feldspar and quartz in masses, and some 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 



25 



small pieces or chips of all the Archian rocks" overlie beds of much worn 
sandstones and clays. 

Along the Loup Forks, and in other localities, the upper beds have be- 
come decomposed and an immense amount of fine sand of a more or less 
stable nature has heaped up to form the famous "sand hills." Beneath 
lie strata of compacted gravel; then come limestone formations, yellow 




Fine Loess Formation in Garfield County. 

grits and layers of many colored sands and clays. In many places on the 
North Loup River calcarious outcroppings are seen. Such are the bottom 
rocks forming the "Falls of the Loup " the sandstones and limestones 
forming the channel bottom near old Willow Springs in Garfield county, 
and again near Scotia in Greeley county. 

With the close of the Tertiary Age and the opening of the Quaternary 



26 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Age a great change came over the earth. In Nebraska the lakebeds grad- 
ually drained out, and there is evidence to show that the serai-tropical con- 
ditions which had so long existed were now undergoing changes. Arctic 
conditions began to prevail at the north, gradually extending into what is 
now the North Temperate zone , pushing, as it were, both fauna and flora 
equatorward. Much of the old life was exterminated or forced to give way 
before the rigors of the Glacial Period which was now preparing. 

For reasons which it does not come within our province to discuss 
here the temperature of Noith America gradually fell so low that the snows 
of winter accumulated too rapidly for the summer's warmth to remove. 
The result was a glaciation of vast land areas. A great ice sheet, forced 
by its own weight, slowly moved southward, enfolding the earth in its em- 
brace. In the west we know that it extended almost to the 36th degree 
north latitude. Traces of the ice movement in Nebraska are abundant. 
Along the Missouri wherever the superficial deposits are removed the un- 
derlying limestone beds are worn smooth as glass and are full of glacial 
scratches and flutings. Indications are that the drift covered at least the 
eastern one third of the state. Here are found the beds of blue clay so 
characteristic of this period; and in strata above these, drift gravel and 
clay, and next above gravel and water worn boulders of various size. 

After countless ages of polar winter an era of general subsidence took 
place in the glaciated regions; a great increase in humidity resulted and 
the ice mantle began to melt and recede. Immense floods were raging in 
the valleys and the continent from glacier edge to the gulf was converted 
into an inland sea, full of floating icebergs, which drifting aimlessly about, 
when they melted, dropped their immense loads of sand gravel and boulders 
to the lake bottom. These floods covered all of Nebraska with the excep- 
tion of the Miocene beds of the White River region and the western uplands 
and a few of the highest crests of the Pliocene deposits which lay too high 
to be reached by the engulfing waters. The Miocene or Pliocene forma- 
tions, known to us by such names as Scott's Bluffs and Chimney Rock 
must, in those times, have been so many islands set in a turbulent sea. The 
entire Loup region was submerged throughout this period, receiving then 
those loess-clay deposits which have made it one of the most fertile regions 
in the state. A change in level now set in. "The farther retreat of the 
glaciers and the elevation of eastern Iowa reduced the area of this great 
lake. What had been a great interior sea of turbulent waters now 
became a system of placid lakes that extended from Nebraska and Western 
Iowa at intervals to the Gulf." The Missouri, Platte and other well 
known streams of today drained through them, carrying immense loads of 
ground-up Pliocene and Cretacious materials suspended in the muddy 
water. In the course of vast ages the lake beds became filled with this 
mud (loess) and, after passing through the stage of bog and marsh, be- 
came dry land. Vegetation soon covered the virgin earth ; and this from its 
annual decay and accumulation of debris gave us the rich surface loam so 
characteristic to Nebraska. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 27 

The chains of river bluffs familiar to every Nebraskan were heaped up 
while the river yet filled the whole trough from bluff to bluff, and, in fact, 
while these bluffs themselves were under water. They were in a way piled 
up on the flanks of the raging, mud-currying flood current, as the glacial 
flood declined the waters gradually fell below the top of the bluff forma- 
tion, and the first terrace or upper bench of the valley flood plain appeared. 
The waters continued falling and the river dwindled down to a mere run, 
leaving the valley terrace above terrace, bench above bench. Thus in Ne- 
braska river basins there are often found three and even four such "bot- 
toms." The terrace building at an end, recent time is well along and geo- 
logical history need be pursued no further. The earth, topographically 
speaking, must have had practically its present day appearance; vegeta- 
tion covered hill and valley; the highest orders of mammalia roamed over 
it and man took possession of it. In Nebraska, indeed, we find traces of a 
pre-glacial race of man. Discoveries of stone implements, and then chiefly 
flint arrow heads and spear-heads, have been made deep in undisturbed 
loess beds, side by side with bones of the mastodon and huge elk of this 
period. We may thus with some reason presume that man roamed the Ne- 
braska plains ages before the advent of the long glacial winter. 

From the foregoing pages it may be nuted that in Nebraska forma- 
tions older than the Pliocene are nowhere exposed excepting the Miocene 
deposits in the "Bad Lands" of the northwest. The former, indeed, are 
represented only in a few isolated neighborhoods in the western part,\vhere 
lofty "buttes" uf Pliocine formation tower high above the flood plain. The 
remainder of the state is covered with glacial drift and loess, the drift be- 
ing confined to the eastern third. The loess clay forms a soil of inex- 
haustible fertility, and ranges in thickness from 5 to 200 feet. 

Nebraska, the Land of Shallow Water, lies at the geographical center of 
the United States, and is bounded by parallels 40 : and 43' North and longi- 
tude 95 c 20' and 104° West. The extreme length of the state from east to 
west is 420 miles, and its breadth from north to south is 208.5 miles. In 
area it comprises 77,510 square miles, or 49,606,400 acres, of which nearly 
500,000 acres represent water. 

The state stretches from the foothills of the Rockies to the Missouri, 
having a gentle eastward slope. The western half averages more than 
2,500 feet above the sea, to only 1,200 feet for the eastern half. Scott's 
Bluffs reach the height of fully 6,000 feet, while Richardsor county is only 
878 feet above the sea. Nebraska is drained entirely by the Missouri and 
its tributaries. Of the latter the most important are the Platte and the 
Niobrara, which flow through valleys extending the length of the state 
from west to east. The Republican comes from western Kansas and, after 
draining much of the "South Platte Country," returns again to that state. 
The Elkhorn and, farther west, the Loup are the only important northern 
tributaries of the Platte. The latter, with its three forks, the North, 
Middle and South Loup, flows from an interesting lake region in Cherry 



28 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

county and empties into the Platte just above Columbus. This river 
system will presently be treated more in full. 

The climate of Nebraska is dry and exhilarating. It is subject to sudden 
changes in temperature, the thermometer being known to have varied 
from 114° to 42°. The mean temperature for January is, however, 19.7°, 
for July 74.8°. The nights are for the most pare cool and refreshing. Ne- 
braska autumns are delightful, the period from early frost till well toward 
Christmas is peculiar for its mellow, hazy atmosphere — crisp and bracing 
— this is the well known "Indian Summer Time." The annual rainfall is 23 
inches, most of it falling east of the 100th meridian. The moisture is 
indeed very unevenly distributed. In the eastern half it averages 30 inches 
and locally it has gauged as high as 50 inches. In the western half it 
averages a little more than 19 inches, though on the extreme western 
border it scarcely reaches 10 inches. Most of the rainfall occurs between 
April and September, the greatest amount falling in May and June. 

As is peculiar to the great continental plain, the weather is very change- 
able. Snow storms, or "blizzards, " may in winter burst with scarcely 
any warning, and rage with sudden fury over the prairie which but a few 
moments before lay bathed in brightest sunshine. Occasional hot winds 
have in summer repeatedly injured the growing crops. It is only justice, 
however, to add that Nebraska, east of the 99th meridian is as "safe" 
for agricultural purposes as any state in the union. West of this line it is 
better adapted for grazing purposes, where not irrigated. Nebraska 
climate is extremely healthful. 'The stranger settling within the state can- 
not help noticing a general quickening of spirit and a strange increase of 
vitality. His appetite becomes voracious, and he sleeps as never before. 
The dry, continental climate is surcharged with an invigorating ozone 
which acts as a new life vigor to him who comes into it from the malaria 
and ague ridden districts of other states.' 

To the travelling public not intimately acquainted with its topography 
Nebraska is a part of the Great Plains — this, and no more. Tourists have 
passed through the state from east to west and pronouced it a monotonous, 
tiresome prairie. But such impressions are at best faulty and do our 
great commonwealth injustice. A birdseye view would disclose a varied 
scene of rich valley and grassy upland, of broad basin and rolling water- 
shed. 

The surface is indeed varied. The river valley, ranging in width from 
a few hundred yards to miles, is usually wooded along the river bank. 
Beyond the rich alluvial or sometimes sandy bottom lands lie the chain 
of border bluffs, steep or rounded and often of considerable height. These 
once passed, a gently undulating watershed meets the eye, stretching per- 
haps for scores of miles, or again may be for but a very brief distance, to 
be cut by a second bluff chain, the border of another water course. 

The northwest is wild and broken but extremely picturesque — this is 
the Bad Lands. The Niobrara basin is in great part gently undulating; 
along the river are many almost romantic spots. Here limestone out- 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 29 

croppings and pine-growths make one forget that this is a prairie state. 
To the south of the Niobiura are the "sandhills," which are mostly great 
dunes of Pliocene sands fantastically heaped up. This great region, which 
by the way, affords excellent range for cattle-grazing is gradually being 
covered with grasses and shrubs, and will no doubt in time become fit for 
agriculture. These hills with their grasses and wild flowers, occasional 
"blowouts" and reed-grown lakes give one an impression of a country yet 
in the making. 

The valley of the Platte is of a sandy nature near the river ned, but, 
as it recedes is transformed into a fertile, rising plain north and south, losing 
itself in wavy undulating farmlands, as rich as found anywhere in the 
country. Westward the state changes from rich prairie, so well adapted 
to agriculture, to dry plains and sage covered foothills, the typical range 
country of the west. Toward the southeast are excellent farm lands, 
beautiful water courses and wooded lowlands. On the eastern border winds 
the "Big Muddy" through its great flood plain, with chains of towering 
bluffs' on either side — bluffs remarkable for their changeful beauty. 
"Occasionally," says Professor Aughey, "an elevation is encountered 
from whose summit there are such magnificent views of river, bottom, 
forest and winding bluffs as to produce all the emotions of the sublime." 
"There are many landscapes everywhere of wonderful beauty along all 
the principal rivers. The bluffs are sometimes precipitous, but generally 
they round off and melt into gently rolling plains. They constantly vary, 
and in following them you come now into a beautiful cove, now to a 
curious headland, then to terraces, and however far you travel you can look 
in vain for a picture like the one just passed." 



The Aborigines. 



CHAPTER II. 

"The land was ours this glorious land — 

With all its wealth of wood and streams; 
Our warriors strong of heart and hand. 

Our daughters beautiful as dreams. 
When wearied at the thirsty noon, 

We knelt us where the spring gushed up, 
To take our Father's blessed boon - 

Unlike the white man's poison cup." 

— Whittier — "The Indian Tale." 

THE fir.-^t mention of Nebraska Indians by white explorers comes from 
the pen of Father Jaques Marquette. In June, 1673, that devout 
Christian worker and missionary, accompanied by Louis Joliet, embarked 
upon his great exploring trip of the "Father of Waters." Fired byarelig- 
ious enthusiasm and by a determination to convert the Algonquin tribes 
roaming its banks, he made the perilous descent as far south as the Red 
"River. From his account of this momentous expedition we draw many a 
thrilling picture of hair breadth escapes and dramatic scenes. Interesting 
to our narrative is Marquette's description of the hitherto unknown Missouri 
country. The voyagers were rapidly approaching the mouth of the great 
western tributary, when, to quote from that Reverend Father's account, 
"we heard a great rushing and bubbling of waters, and soon beheld small 
islands of floating trees coming from the mouth of the Pekitanoni (the 
Missouri) with such rapidity that we could not trust ourselves to go near 
it. The waters of this river are so muddy that we could not drink it. It 
so discolors the Mississippi as to make the navigation of it dangerous. 
This river comes frem the northwest and on its banks are situated a num- 
ber of Indian villages." 

In a most interesting chart of the expedition, now in the archives at 
Montreal, Marquette locates, in what is now Kansas and Nebraska, the 
following Indian villages: The Ouemessouriet (Missouri), the Kenza 
(Kansas), the Ouohatre (Osage), the Paneassa (Pawnee), and the Maha 
(Omaha). r l hat his information was indeed surprisingly accurate is seen 
from this that French explorers found these very tribes in relatively the 
same position as indicated in the chart nearly 200 years later. 

Lewis and Clark, in the expedition of 1804, found Pawnees, Missouris 
and Otoes in possession of the Platte, the Poncas near the mouth of the 
Niobrara and the Omahas in the northeastern Dart of the state, centering 



6Z THE TRAIL OF THF LOUP 

around what is now Sioux City. The Pawnees were then the dominant tribe 
of the we&tern prairie, the others here mentioned being treated as wards 
and dependents. 

Their original home seems to have been somewhere in the lower Red 
River Valley in Louisiana, where they formed the chief tribe of the 
important Gaddoan stock. At an early date several of these tribes 
migrated northward. Thus the Arikari moved by way of the Missouri, 
penetrating far into North Dakota. Sometime later the Skidi (Wolves) 
advanced north waid and halted at the Platte, there to be overtaken by the 
Pawnees proper. 

The Pawnees called themselves Skihiksihiks, or "men par excellence. " 
The popular name, and the one most in vogue, is Wolf People. They were 
a warlike and powerful nation, claiming the whole region watered by the 
Platte from the Rocky Mountains to its mouth. They held in check the 
powerful Kiowas of the Black Hills and waged successful war against the 
Comanches of the Arkansas. 

From an early day we find them divided into four grand divisions, or 
clans, having distinct government though with language in common. There 
were the Shani, or Grand Pawnees with villages on tne south bank of the 
Platte, opposite the present Grand Island: the Kitkehaki, or Republican 
Pawnees, on the Republican in northern Kansas; the Pitahauerat, or Noisy 
Pawnees, also on the Platte; and the Skidi, or Loup (Wolf) Pawnees on the 
Loup Pork of the Platte. Here they lived in well built log houses, covered 
with turf and earth, preferring these to the movable tepee, which was only 
used when the bands were on an extended hunt. They depended more on 
horticulture, the raising of corn and pumpkins, than upon the buffalo hunt. 
In this manner they never outgrew the sedentary and agricultural habits 
peculiar to all southern tribes. 

Lieutenant Zebulon Pike's exploring expedition, when on its way to 
the mountains in 1806, encountered the Republican Pawnees in northern 
Kansas. This was a few years before they moved north to join their 
brothers already established on the Loup Forks. Lieut. Pike and his 
aid Lieut. Wilkinson held a grand council with the chiefs of that nation on 
the 29th of September, which is interesting to us. as it gives an idea of the 
northward limit of Spanish activity at that time. The council is described 
in the following language: "The council was held at the Pawnee Republic 
village (near the present site of Scandia in Republic county) and was attend- 
ed by 400 warriors. When the parties assembled for their council, Lieut. 
Pike found that the Pawnees had unfurled a Spanish flag at the door of the 
chief, one which had lately been presented by that government, through 
the hands of Lieut. Malgoras. To the request of Lieut. Pike that the flag 
should be delivered to him, and one of the United States hoisted in its place, 
they at first made no response; but, upon his repeating his demand, with 
the emphatic declaration that they must choose between Americans and 
Spaniards and that it was impossible for the nation to have two fathers, 
they decided to put themselves, for the time, at last, under American pro- 



THE ABORIGINES 33 

tection. An old man accordingly rose, went to the door, took down the 
Spanish flag and laid it at the feet of Lieut. Pike, and in its stead elevated 
the stars and the stripes." 

Anotfher expedition was sent out by the War Department in 1819, for 
the purpose of gaining a more thorough topographical knowledge of the 
central region of the great Louisiana purchase. This was the Long 
Expedition. Leaving "Engineer Cantonment" just below Council Bluffs 
on the 10th of Jane, it crossed the Missouri near the site of Omaha and 
struck boldly across the "Indian Country." And indeed there was nothing 
just then to fear from the Indians, as treaties of amity had lately been 
entered into by government agents and the leading tribes along the route. 
One was ratified with the Pawnees as early as January 5, 1812, one with 
the Mahas, December 26, 1815, and one with the Otoes, December 26, 1817. 
Major Long's instructions read to see that the treaties were strictly lived 
up to by redskin and white man alike. In the course of his westward 
advance he made it a point to visit the Pawnee villages. His account has 
it that after crossing the Elkhorn he trailed along the north bank of the 
Platte till the confluence of the Loup was reached. At sunset, June 10th, 
the expedition went into camp at a small creek about eleven miles' 
distant from the village of the Grand Pawnees. Then in Major Long's 
account of the visit we read : 

"On the following morning, having arranged the party according to 
rank, and given the necessary instructions for the preservation of order, 
we proceeded forward, and in a short time came in sight of the first of the 
Pawnee villages. The trail on which we had travelled since leaving the 
Missouri had the appearance of being more and more frequented as we 
approached the Pawnee towns; and here, instead of a single footway, it 
consisted of more than twenty parallel paths, of similar size and appear- 
ance; at a few miles distance from the village, we met a partv of eight or 
ten squaws, with hoes and other implements of agriculture, on their way to 
the corn plantations. They were accompanied by one young Indian, but 
in what capacity— whether as assistant., protector or taskmaster, we 'were 
not informed. After a ride of about three hours we arrived before the 
village, and dispatched a messenger to inform the chief of our approach. 
"Answer was returned that he was engaged with his chiefs and warriors 
at a medicine feast, and could not, therefore, come out and meet us. We 
were soon surrounded by a crowd of womenand children, who gazed at us 
with some expressions of astonishment; but as no one appeared to welcome 
us to the village, arrangments were made for sending'on the horses and 
baggage to a. suitable place for encampment while Major Long with several 
gentlemen who wished to accompany him, entered the village. The party 
after groping about for some time and traversing a considerable part of the 
village, arrived at the lodge of the principal chief. Here we were again 
informed that Tarrarecawaho, with all the principal men of the village, 
was engaged at a medicine feast. Notwithstanding his absence, some mats 
were spread for us upon the grounl in the back part of the lodge. Upon 



34 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



them We sat down, and, after waiting some time, were presented with a 
large wooden dish of hominy or boiled corn. In this was a single spoon of 
the" horn of a buffalo, large enough to hold a pint, which, being used 
alternately by each of the party, soon emptied the dish of its contents." 
After this strange reception and feast the expedition visited in turn 




Roam Chief (Pawnee) and Yellow Hair (Sioux) agree 
to "bury the Hatchet." 

the villages of the Republican and Loup (Wolf) Pawnees, lying a few miles 
apart, an hour's ride above the village of the Pawnee Grand. Major Long 
was especially struck with the thrift of these villages. For miles up and 
down the river large droves of horses were grazing; fields of maize and 
patches of tomatoes, pumpkins and squashes were seen in many places 



THE ABORIGINES 35 

and added much to the apparent wealth of the community. This was before 
misfortune overtook the nation. 

The expedition spent the night of June 12 on the banks of the river, 
within a stone's throw of the Loup village. This was, as far as we know, 
the first organized party of white men to slumber on the banks of this 
beautiful stream. 

The Pawnee nation formerly numbered some 25,000 souls and in the day 
of its prime was the terror alike of trapper and trader and bands from 
other tribes which by chance ventured too far into the hunting grounds 
of these fierce fighting foes. But calamity was at hand. In 1831, a terrible 
smallpox epidemic carried off several thousand of their number, leaving 
the nation in a pitiable condition. Their agent, John Dougherty, in making 
his report to the government, says: "Their miserv defies all description. 
I am fully persuaded that one-half the whole number will be carried off by 
this frightful distemper. They told me that not one under thirty years of 
age escaped, it having been that length of time since it visited them be- 
fore. They were dying so fast, and taken down at once in such 
large numbers that they had ceased to bury their dead, whose bodies 
were to be seen in every direction — lying in the river, lodged on the sand- 
bars, in the weeds around the villages and in their corn cashes." 

On the 9th of October, 1834, a treaty was made between the Pawnees and 
the United States government whereby the former agreed to vacate all 
their lands south of the Platte. All the plague stricken southern 
villages were abandoned and the miserable remnant of a once proud tribe 
reassembled on the Loup and westward along the Platte. 

But scarcely had the enfeebled nation had time to set up their tepees 
and break soil in their new home, when the Sioux made bold by their 
hereditary foes, apparent weakness, swept down the North Loup and the 
Cedar and began a war of extermination. Villages and fields were 
abandoned to the revengeful foe and safety sought in flight. The Pawnee 
found every man's hand against him. Even the government was indifferent 
and did little to check the depredations of the Sioux. To make matters 
still worse, other enemies on the south, the Cheyennes and the Arapahoes, 
infested the Pawnees' old Kansas hunting grounds, eager to strike the 
final blow. But this was not to come by the hand of red men. In 1849, 
gold seekers on their way to California brought the cholera to the Pawnee 
camps. Again several thousand died and the handful of survivors, 
reduced to beggary, besought the government for protection, which was 
granted. By the treaty of September 4, 1857, they ceded all their original 
territory except a strip 30 miles long by 15 wide upon the lower Loup 
river. This was the old Nance county Reservation, whence they were 
finally removed to their present abode in Oklahoma. During the Indian 
troubles of 1862-'65 the Pawnees furnished scouts to the government and 
proved a valuable aid against the crafty Sioux. The latter, however, 
reaped sweet revenge after the war closed. The Pawnees were never safe 
if they ventured away from the reservation. Red Cloud's bands might at 



THE TRAIL OP THE LOUP 



any moment sweep down upon them to kill and plunder. As if the 
loss of their hunting grounds were not enough to fill the cup of troubles, 
the grasshoppers, in 1872, devoured their corn crop. This meant starvation. 
Congressional appropriation through land sales kept them alive till 1874, 
when, as stated above, the Pawnees set their faces southward, forever to 
leave the Loup and the Platte. 

The story of their rapid decay is read in the following figures: In 1835, 




Q 



according to the missionaries Dunbar and Allis, they numbered 10,000. 
In 1840 disease and war had reduced them to 7,500. In 1849 cholera had 
reduced them to 5,000. Later official reports give 4,686 in 1856; 3,416 in 
1861; 2376 in 1874; 1440 in 1879; 824 in 1889; 629 in 1901. 

Thus passed the Pawnees, the Wolf People of the North, while 
their arch enemy, the Sioux, still roamed the plains. 

The latter belonged to one of the most widely extended and important 



THE ABORIGINES 37 

Indian families in North America. Prior *o the advent of white man to 
this country they appear to have held sway of the Atlantic seaboard 
of Virginia and the Carolinas, outlying tribes even penetrating south 
to the Gulf. In those days the Sioux were sedentary and inclined to horti- 
culture. They lived in well built lodges and tilled the soil. Within the 
recent historic period they set their faces westward and removed to the 
banks of the Ohio. The cause of this migration can only be surmised. 
In all probability it was the outcome of an undue pressure by Maskoki 
tribes living in the South Atlantic states, coupled with a like Algonquin or 
Iroquoian movement from the north. 

From their own traditions we learn that at some p©inst on the Ohio, 
probably near the mouth of the Wabash, the Sioux and Winn*>bagp«* parted 
company with the rest of the tribes and took a northwesterly trail across 
Illinois, the former taking possession of the headwaters of the Mississippi, 
the latter pitching their lodges around the lake that bears their name in 
Wisconsin. Meanwhile other tribes of the great family had reached the 
mouth of the Ohio and descended the Mississippi tili the Missouri was 
reached. Here the tribes further separated. The 'Quapas" — "the people 
who went down stream" — penetrated the wilds southward and possessed 
themselves of Arkansas; the "Omahas" — "the people who went up the 
stream" — ascended the Missouri and made their home in eastern Ne- 
braska. The Poncas and Iowas are usually classed as belonging to this 
tribe. The Otoes, Peorias and Missouris, who we will recall were first 
mentioned by Father Marquette in 1673, also belonged to the Siouan family. 
They all took up abodes along the Missouri and drifted westward up 
the Kaw and the Platte. At this juncture the Pawnees swarmed in form 
the south and by sheer force of numbers overcame the smaller Siouan 
tribes and reduced them to a state of vassalage. This was, however of so 
mild and paternal a nature that the vanquished appear to have been quite 
content with the new condition of things. Indeed when in later times the 
Pawnees became weak and dependent, the wards took the part of the task- 
master against their own kinsmen, the Dakotahs. 

The Sioux are the most important of the Siouan stock. Numerically 
they are the largest in the United States with the possible exception of 
the Ojibwas. The Sioux call themselves Dakotah, Nakotah, or Lakotah, 
according to the respective dialect, the name signifying "allies,." The 
popular name by which we know them is a corruption of the old Ojibwa 
"Nadawesiwug," meaning "enemies." The early French pronounced 
this as "Nadaousioux, " which by shortening became modern -'Sioux." 
This warlike tribe had at an early date forgotten their sedentary habits 
and become a nation of roaming buffalo hunters. From the headwaters 
of the Mississippi they gradually moved westward, pressed upon the east 
by the fierce Ojibwas who were aided by the French. Crossing: the Missouri 
they invaded the hunting grounds of the Kiowas, Cheyennes and Crows, 
whom they crowded beyond the Black Hills. For many years the 
Niobrara River in Nebraska formed the line of demarkation between the 



38 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Sioux and Pawnees. When the Sioux finally extended their hunts andipr- 
ays beyond this stream a relentless war commenced, which ended only 
with the utter annihilation of the valient foe from the southland. In 1837 
the Sioux sold to the government aJl their claims to lands east of the 
Mississippi. In 1851 they surrendered the greater part of Minnesota and 
removed to the plains of Dakotah. But a general dissatisfaction with the 
manner in which the government fulfilled the terms of the treaty led to 
the massacre of white settlers at Spirit Lake, Iowa, in 1857. A few 
years later, in 1862, the shrewd chieftain, Little Crow, still chafing under 
real and imaginary wrongs, took advantage of the national government's 
embarassment consequent upon the Civil War and with his bands fell 
upon the outlying settlements in Minnesota, massacring fully 1000 of 
the settlers. This inaugurated a bitter war which lasted until 1869. The 
Indians were speedily driven out of Minnesota by General Sibley. Little 
Crow and his bands escaped to Canada, while the remainder, under 
command of Red Cloud and other noted chiefs sought refuge in Nebraska, 
where they continued the contest for seven years. Those were bloody days 
upon the plains. The valley of the Platte was then the great thoroughfare 
to California. Along a line hundreds of miles in length the plainsmen 
were exposed to attack. To hazard crossing the plains in small companies 
was now to invite sure destruction. The pioneers were forced therefore 
to organize in strong caravans or trains, armed to the teeth. Even then 
they were not always successful in making their way to the mountains. The 
trail from the Missouri to the Rockies became marked with bleaching 
bones, burnt wagons and rotting harness. 

The military had its hands full and indeed on occasion suffered 
severely. Thus, in 1866, Colonel Fetterman's entire command of 165 men 
was massacred near Fort Phillip Kearney. The frontiers and outlying 
ranches were panic stricken and at one time in 1864 many were entirely 
abandoned The Sioux were aided by the Cheyennes in these raids or, 
more correctly, the latter headed the first Platte River attack, after which 
the Brules and other Sioux joined in the fray, soon becoming the leaders. 
The Cheyennes were by this time closely allied to the Sioux through 
intermarriage of the tribes, and trouble with the one nation was sure to 
mean war with both. The Cheyennes had long been dissatisfied with the 
way the whites treated them and especially did they hate the soldiers at 
the army posts along the route. These seem to have been unnecessarily 
harsh in their treatment of the Indians, and at times to have brutally mis- 
used them. 

Let us here note the magnitude of the traffic by the great overland 
route of the Platte. It was not unusual, says an old rancher, to stand 
at one's cabin door and count from 1000 to 1500 wagons passing in a single 
day. Or to take an example more to the point: One St Louis firm, Russell, 
Majors, WaddeU & Cu., operated no less than 6,250 wagons, requiring a 
team force of 70,000 oxen, and representing an investment of nearly $2,000- 
000, When it is borne in mind that this firm was only one of the many 




II 



40 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



doing business between the river and the mountains, we shall readily com- 
prehend the enormous proportions of the traffic. 

The first outbreak of the war occurred at Plum Creek in Dawson 
county on the 17th day of August, 1864. This point was at that time the 
most important stage and telegraph station between Port Kearney -and Ft. 
McPherson. Aftec leaving the station and the broad vallev the route led 




Sioux Mother and Babe; Early Trailers of the Loup. 

to a point where steep bluffs and wood covered canyons afforded excellent 
concealment to a prowling foe. In this death trap the Indians planned their 
ambuscade, and fell upon an unsuspecting wagon train, killing the entire 
party of eleven, plundering the wagons and then setting fire to them. 
Fortunately the Indians had neglected to cut the telegraphic communica- 
tion eastward, and this alone prevented the general massacre, long planned, 



THE ABORIGINES 41 

Settlers and ranchmen received timely warning and generally succeeded in 
reaching some point of refuge. For weeks all was panic and confusion. 
However, with the aid of the military, some degree of reassurance was 
established and many of the fugitives returned to their homes. For almost 
five years did the war drag on. involving terrible loss in life and property. 
During these years numerous pitched battles were fought between the 
government regulars and the Sioux. The last and decisive fight took place 
at Summit Springs. Sunday, July 11, 1869. 

The Sioux, under command of the vile chief, Tall Bull, had for some 
time made life unsafe along the Republican, when Gen. Carr of Fort 
McPherson started in pursuit wrth several companies of U. S. Troops and 
Major Frank North's band of 300 Pawnee scouts a,nd fighters. William Cody, 
better known as "Buffalo Bfell," acted as guide. July 5, Cody and six Pawnee 
scouts discovered the Sioux in the sand hills south of the Platte, whither 
they had retreated in haste upon hearing of the pursuit. When the attack 
was made the Sioux broke up into small bands and escaped under cover 
of darkness. Three days later, however, 600 Sioux were discovered in the 
act of fording the river and a sharp fight ensued. The Indians suffered 
heavy loss, among others the famous chief, Tall Bull, falling a victim to 
Cody's unerring aim. On the following Sunday General Carr, who had 
followed the main trail, overtook the reunited bands at Summit Springs. 
The Sioux held their ground and a day-break battle ensued. It was short 
but decisive. Many soldiers and Pawnee scouts were slain, and at least 
700 of the Sioux, including many chiefs and sub-chiefs. The handful who 
escaped the carnage sought safety in headlong flight. Considerable booty 
was made. Herds of ponies, the entire camp outfit and 300 squaws fell into 
the victors' hands. This battle practically ended the war. The Indians, 
power of resistance was broken and while a few depredations were com- 
mitted after this time, they were limited to the stealing and running off of 
stock in the border settlements. 

The same year a treaty of peace was made which remained unbroken 
until the invasion of the Black Hills by miners, conseauent upon the 
discovery of gold, led to another war in 1876 : 77. Nebraska fortunately was 
spared the brunt of this outbreak, the main actions taking place in Mon- 
tana. The chief event of the war was the surprise and massacre of the 
intrepid Gen. George A. Custer and his entire command of nearly 300 
regular troops in the bluffs of the Little Big Horn country. Sitting Bull 
is credited with being the leader of the hordes who on that memorable 
occasion overwhelmed one of the most daring and idolized Indian fighters 
of his century. Four days later Gen. Crook arrived upon the battlefield 
and in a series of fights took summary revenge upon the Indians. Of these 
Sitting Bull with several thousand followers escaped to Canada where he 
remained till 1881, when he returned on promise of amnesty. 

In 1889 another treaty was made by which the Sioux surrendered the 
richest lands of the "Great Sioux reservation," embracing all of South 
Pakota west of the Missouri. In lieu for this they were given five small, 



42 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

distinct reservations and certain annuities. The new arrangements were 
exceedingly distasteful to a powerful minority, and this, together with an 
Indian "Messiah Craze" led to a new outbreak in the fall of 1890. At 
Wounded Knee, on the White River,one of the bands, which had voluntarily 
surrendered, attempted a treacherous surprise of the troops which all but 
succeeded. The trick was, however, discovered in the. nick of time, and 
what had at first promised the annihilation of the unsuspecting regulars, 
was turned into a terrible massacre of the red men. When .the affray was 
ended fully 300 Indian dead covered the field. 

A blot upon our escutcheon in this war was the slaying of old Sitting 
Bull and members of his family December 15, 1890, by a troop of soldiers 
sent to arrest him at his lodge. The old chieftain made but little show 
of resistance and his death was entirely unwarranted. 

The Sioux were typical nomad hunters and warriors. Numerically and 
physically strong, they made themselves masters of the buffalo plains, no 
other tribes being able to make a successful stand against them. In their 
skin tepees they dwelt where the buffalo was plentiful. They had their 
horses, dogs and weapons of war and were content. As warriors they were 
ruthless and unforgiving. No more striking example of these traits is 
found than in the vengeful spirit with which they nunted down and 
hounded the Pawnees to utter annihilation. 

The census of 1900 places the nation at fully 24,000, distributed as 
follows: Canada (refugees from the U. S. ), 600; Minnesota, 930; Montana 
(Port Peck Agency.) 1180; Nebraska (Santee Agency), 1310; North Dakota 
(Devil's Lake and Standing Rock Agencies), 4630; South Dakota (Cheyenne 
River, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Pine Ridge and Rosebud Agencies), 
15,480. 



Glimpses of State History. 



CHAPTER III. 



O 



"Now let us climb Nebraska's loftiest mount. 

And from it's summit view the scene below. 

The moon comes like an angle down from heaven; 

Its radiant face in the unclouded sun; 

Its outspread wings the over-arching sky; 

Its voice the charming minstrels of the air; 

Its breath the fragrance of the brightest wild-flowers. 

Behold the prairie, broad and grand and free - 

Tis God's own garden' unprofaned by man!" "Nebraska— a Poem.'' 

NE is accustomed to think of Nebraska as a state with but a brief his- 
tory. And when we consider her history in relation to her forty -four 
sister states this is perfectly true. In another sense, however, the state 
has a history surprisingly old. Fully sixty years before the founding of 
Jamestown in Virginia, and three quarters of a century prior to the coming 
of the Pilgrim Fathers to New England shores, did white men travel over 
the ereat plains of which Nebraska forms a part, and write narratives 
minutely describing the fauna and flora of those parts. Not from the 
east but from the far southland, Mexico, came the adventurers who were 
first to gaze upon her virgin beauty of plain and hill. It fell to the lot 
of the romantic Spaniard to shed poetic glamour over the first pages of 
Nebraska history. And it came with the far famed expedition of Cavalier 
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, which left Compostela, Mexico, February 
23, 1540. 

From an early date wild stories had been afloat in New Spain (Mexico), 
telling about a marvelous province, Cibola, in which were said to be seven 
magnificent cities, far surpassing the city of the Montezuma in riches and 
splendor. Several expeditions were dispatched to find the much coveted 
prize, but all these, daunted by the terrible journey across mountain and 
through desert waste, despairing of success, returned empty-handed. It 
was not till the year 1536 that the government determined to make a con- 
certed effort to reach Cibola. In that year Cabeza de Vaca and three 
companions — the only survivors of the Narvaez Expedition, which had been 
shipwrecked at the mouth of the Mississippi — arrived at San Miguel on 
the Gulf of California. These men told marvellous tales of their tramp 
from gulf to gulf, Of how their Indian captors had carried them from 



44 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



tribe to tribe and how in course of these wanderings they had at one 
time come to mavellous cities, built of stone and brick and surpassingly 
rich in gold and silver. These tales gave new life to the "Cibola" stories, 
and stirred the covetous Spaniards to immediate action. The friar Marcos 
de Niza was accordingly sent forward on a preliminary expedition. This 
was in 1539. Marcos who evidently did discover one of the Zuni or Moqui 
ueblos in upper Arizonia or New Mexico, brought back glowing reports to 
Coronado, the governor of New Gallicia. He had, said he, not alone found 
fs > Cibola, but the half had not been told about its marvels. 

An expedition was now organized which had for its avowed purpose 
the conquestand Christianization of this fairy realm. And accordingly the 
governor in own person set forth with a large force of horsemen, infantry 
and native allies, supplied with artillery and large stores of ammunition 
and foodstuffs. With much difficuly he made his way across the mountains 




One of the "Seven Cities of Cibola." 

and into eastern Arizona, and there stormed the strongly built stone 
pueblo of Hawiku, which may yet be seen in its ruined state. This was, no 
doubt, one of friar Marcos' "Seven Cities." Not finding the fabled riches 
here, Coronado sent out expeditions to the west and north, wriich explored 
the country as far as the mud pueblos of Tusayan and the Grand Canyon 
of the Colorado. But as these expeditions were equally unsuccessful, the 
small army was ordered eastward and wintered on the banks of the Rio 
Grande in New Mexico. 

During the winter of 1540-41 the river tribes were subjugated after 
fierce resistance. Such shocking cruelty did the Spaniards display in their 
fights with the tribes that these in a dire extremity preferred death by fire 
to the small mercy of their Christian conquerors. At this juncture an 
Indian warrior appeared before Coronado with a strange story about "the 
great kingdom of Qui vera" lying many leagues to the northeast. A wonder- 
ful land indeed was this, "with its river seven miles wide, in which fishes 
large as horses were found; its immense canoes; its trees hung with golden 



GLIMPSES OP STATE HISTORY 45 

bells, and dishes of solid gold." This remarkable bale had all the effect 
that could have been intended for it. The credulous Spaniards took the 
bait and one self sacrificing red man, thinking more of ravaged kin than 
life, led the way into the Stalked Plains of Texas, drawing the hated 
white man as far as possible from the poor, tortured, peace-loving tribes 
at home. 

After 700 miles of weary plodding across "mighty plains and sandy 
heaths" the explorers reached the banks of a great river which they called 
"St. Peter or St. Paul," and which from all reports must have been the 
Arkansas. Prior to leaving this stream the leader ordered the main body 
of his soldiers back to the old camp on the Rio Grande; with onlv 30 
picked and mounted men did he then continue the search for Quivera. 
Northward, day after day, till 48 had sped by, did they continue — not 
always in a straight line, but searching out the country as they advanced. 

And here let us pause long enough in our search for the promised land 
to peruse a quaint but graphic description of early day life on the great 
buffalo plain, as it comes from the pen of the Spanish chronicler, the first 
civilized man to see such wonders: "The men." he says, ''clothe and shoe 
themselves with lether, and the women which are esteemed for their long 
lockes, cover their heads . . . with the same. They have no bread of 
any kinds of graine, as they say, which I account a very great matter. Their 
chiefest foode is flesh, and that oftentimes they eate raw, either of custome 
or for lacke of wood. They eate the fatt s as they take it out of the oxe, and 
drinke the bloode hotte, and die not therewithall, though the ancient 
writers say that it killeth, as Empedochs and others affirmed. They 
drinke it also colde dissolved in water. They seeth not the flesh for lack 
of pots, but rost it, or so tu say more properly, warme it at a fire of Oxe- 
dung; when they eat, they chaw their meate but little, and raven up much, 
and holding the flesh with their teeth, they cut it with rasors of stone 
which seemeth to be great beastialitie; but such is their manner of livin*? 
and fashion. They goe together in companies, and moove from one pij^e 
to another as the wild Moores of Barbarie, called Alarbes doe, following 
the seasons and the pasture after their oxen. 

"These Oxen are of the bignesse and color of our Bulles, but their 
homes are not so great. They have a great bunch upon their fore shoul- 
dres, and more haire on their fore part than on their hinder part, and it 
is like wool. They have as it were an horse-manne upon their backe 
bone, and much haire and verv long from their knees downward. They 
have great tuftes of haire hanging downe at their chinnes and throatp.s. 
The males, have very long tailes and a great knobbe and llocke at the end: 
so that in some respect they resemble the lion, and in some other the camel 1 
They push with their homes, they runne, they overtake and kill an horse, 
when they are in their rage and anger. Finally it is a foule and fierce 
beast of countenance and form of bodie. The horses fledde from them, 
either because of their deformitie, or because theye had never seen them." 

In July the expedition reached a group of tepee villages somewhere 



46 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

near the borderline between Kansas and Nebraska. Coronado, at last sat- 
isfied that he had been duped by his crafty guidf , straightway hanged that 
unfortunate to a tree on the banks of a stream which may have been the 
Republican or the Blue, in Nebraska. Farther to the north, he was told, 
was another large stream, presumably the Platte. No records are left to 
show that he approached this river any nearer. 

This we know, however, that he now turned eastward, marching till 
he reached the banks of a "large tributary of the Mississippi," no doubt the 
Missouri. And there he set up a cross with the inscription: "Thus far came 
Francisco de Coronado, General of an Expedition." 

Upon returning home to his province our explorer wrote a lettter to the 
Viceroy of New Spain, in which he states that, "the province of Qui vera 
is 950 leagues (3.230 miles) from Mexico. The place I have reached is 
40° in latitude. The earth is the best possible for all kinds of productions 
of Spain, for while it is very strong and black, it is very well watered by 
brooks, springs and rivers. I found prunes like those of Spain, some of 
which were black, also some excellent grapes and mulberries." 

Much good ink has been wasted in efforts to determine the exact north- 
ward limits of Coronado's march. One of the most learned of the scholars 
writing upon this subject is Judge Jas. W. Savage, whose interesting paper 
is found in the Nebraska State Historical Society's report for the year 1880. 
The gist of this gentleman's argument is that Coronado simply could not 
have failed to have reached the Platte or at least the Republican in Ne- 
braska He says that "from the point where he left his army, Coronado 
must have proceeded in a direction west of north, "They had diverged 
too much toward Florida," says Castanada. The time occupied in the 
march by the detachment is uncertain; Castanada gives it as "forty-eight 
days, while Coronado says in one place that it was forty, and in another 
forty two days. Taking the lowest of these numbers, and conceding that 
it includes also the twenty-five days spent by the general in exploring 
Quivera, and there was ample time to reach the Platte or the Republican 
River." Now here we have it, "there was ample time," but have we the 
proof? Everything being equal, as we say, he should have reached both 
the Republican and the Platte, but, alas! what does this prove'? Such 
hvpotheses are dangerous to say the least, and we must not in our 
enthusiasm run away from the hard, cold fact. To the writer it does not 
appear ihat the evidence in the case is sufficient to substantiate the allega- 
tion; he prefers, therefore, to let the case rest upon Coronado's own state- 
ment that he reached 40 north latitude. And this may mean that he never 
set foot on Nebraska Soil, and again, that he advanced some distance into 

the state. 

"In the twenty-five years since Judge Savasre presented his paper a 
great deal of new light has been shed on the subject. The route of 
Coronado has been minutely studied. It has been established beyond 
question that the Quivera Indians were the Wichitas,— they being the only 
Indians in all that region who built grass houses. A great river which 



GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY 



47 



Coronado crossed on his way to Quivera has been very closely identified as 
the Arkansas. With these two points conceded it is not hard to fix the 
valley of the Kansas river in the vicinity of Port Rily as the true site of 
Quivera. Here are the remains of a vast former Indian population, — acres 
of rough flint axes, knives and arrow heads, and at a distance of a few miles 
other remains of a finer flint workmanship mixed with thousands of frag- 
ments of pottery. Exploration begun in 1896 on this site by Mr J. V. 




Quivera Monument, Junction City, Kansas. 

Brower of Minnesota, culiminated in the declaration by him that he had 
rediscovered Quivera."— A. E. Sheldon in Semi-Centennial History of 
Nebraska, Lincoln 1904. 

It is surprising how often even really great scholars will overreach 
themselves in their zealous endeavors to substantiate their claims and to 
prove their contentions. Much eager credulity is too often displayed in 
attempts to prove one's pet theory. And in this respect it seems to me, our 



48 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

esteemed friend, Jugde Savage, was no exception. He states in a note 
to his paper "that the engineer of the new branch of the Union Pacific 
Railway, now building northward along one of the forks of the Loup, report 
numerous ancient mounds along their route, and many evidences of once 
populous cities. Specimens of the ancient pottery, with the shards of which 
the ground is thickly strewn, are almost identical with those still to be 
found at Pecos and other cities in New Mexico. This fact is peculiarly 
interesting in view of one of the statements of the Turk, just before his 
execution, to the exasperated Spaniards, that the cities to which he was 
conducting them were still beyond." 

The "new branch of the Union Pacific Railway" here spoken of is 
none other than the Republican Valley (Union Pacific) Railway between 
Grand Island and Ord, and then refers more particularly to that section of 
the road which lies between St. Paul and Ord. To think that the railway 
engineers should have found "evidences of once populous cities" on the 
beautiful Loup will certainly come as a surprise to the many old settlers 
of the Valley who as early as 1872 became familiar with almost every foot 
of ground between "Athens," and "The Porks" of the Loup and the Calamus, 
but who never dreamt of any such great past for their beloved valley. 
Many of them were good old plainsmen, too. and well versed in Indian 
lore. They were not ignorant of the fact that theirs was an "Indian 
country," and that it had for years been the stamping ground of two great, 
contending Indian nations, the Pawnees and the Sioux. Almost any pioneer 
from the early seventies can show a goodly collection of chipped arrows 
spearheads, war clubs and specimens of pottery. They were acquainted, 
and well acquainted with the so-called mounds, but never had cause to 
disassociate them with the Indians of their time. Even now the zealous 
collector may when the ground is burned over chance upon chipped flints 
and shards of broken pottery in great abundance.. The author, who has 
been identified with the valley for almost 25 years and who knows by 
sight the outline contour of almost every hill bordering the valley for 50 
miles or more, has spent much time in excavating the "mounds" and has 
been well repaid for his efforts with a store of wampum, flints and pottery. 
But that these "mounds" and deserted camps bore "evidences" of some 
great and buried civilization certainly never occurred to him. Indeed, his 
knowledge of Indian lore, limited as it is, has but a very prosaic explana- 
tion for the "evidences," and forces him thus, at one fell stroke, to rob the 
valley of the distinction of having been the wonderful province of Quivera, 
the realm of Tartarrax, "the long-bearded, gray-haired and rich, who took 
his noon day sleep in a garden of roses, under a huge, spreading tree, 
to the branches of which were suspended innumerable gold balls, which 
sounded in exquisite harmony when shaken by the wind." 

The "once populous cities" we do not hesitate to state, were chateaux 
en E&pagne in the minds of men more at home in engineer-ins" than in 
ethnology. Old, deserted Pawnee and Sioux camps took on marvelous 
shapes in their imagination and the hilltop burial grounds became, by 



GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY 49 

some strange mind contortion, mounds of unknown wealth and antiquity. 
No, let us stick to the fact. The North Loup Valley was at no time the 
home of the semi-civilized Indian. But up and down its whole length the 
barbarous plains Indians, for untold ages, lived and fought and died. His 
bones lie buried there and the Manitou still guards the sacred places of 
the departed. 

When Coronado, discouraged and heartsore, forever turned his back 
upon Nebraska, the darkness of barbarism again settled down over the 
plains, not to be dispelled for another 200 years. Not till after the acquisi- 
tion of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 did men's minds turn to the pos- 
sibilities of the great unknown West. The Lewis and Clark Expedition 
left St. Louis on the 14th of May. 1804, and spent two whole years explor- 
ing the great purchase. The reports brought back tended to familiarize 
the east with this vast region and its unlimited resources, and paved the 
way to the first commercial enterprise between the two sections of our 
country. Even before Lewis and Clark skirted the state had enterprising 
Frenchmen crossed the Missouri in quest of pelts. Pierre and August 
Choteau, brothers engaged in the fur trade, are known to have passed be- 
yond the forks of the Platce away back in 1762. They may at that early 
date have trailed along the Loup, fully a hundred years in advance of 
the first settlers. 

Traders, hunters and explorers soon began to pour into the "Indian 
country," beyond the Missouri. The first known settlement on Nebraska 
soil was a trading post founded at Bellevue by a wealthy Spaniard, Manuel 
Lisa, in 1805. The American Fur Company organized by that early captain 
of industry, John Jacob Aster, established its Missouri headquarters at 
Bellevue in 1810. This post became the center of a monster traffic with 
the Indian tribes as far westward as the mountains. Other posts were 
established for like purposes at Omaha, in 1825, and at Nebraska City, in 
1826. 

Lack of space forbids a detailed account of the men, the first to blaze 
the way for later comers to the territory. A bare list of names and dates 
of a. few must suffice. Lieutenant Zebulon Pike travelled through southern 
Nebraska on his way to the Rockies in the fall of 1806. Thos. Nutell and 
John Bradbury spent a part of 1808 in the territory botanizing. Major 
Stephen Long crossed the Missouri into Nebraska on the 10th day of .June 
1819, and traversed the state from east to west. William Asheley, the head 
of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company of St. Louis, ascended the Missouri 
in boats, to the mouth of the Yellowstone. This was in 1822. Colonel 
John C. Fremont left St. Louis in May, 1842, bound upon his important 
trip across the purchase to the mountains. He spent part of the summer 
in Nebraska. 

At this juncture an event of much interest occurred. It was the 
advent of Mormons to Nebraska soil. This religious sect had been driven 
from its home at Nauvoo. Illinois, and was now, after much buffeting 
around, massing on the banks of the Missouri, preparatory to crossing the 



50 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



"Great Desert" to the Promised Land beyond the reach of law. Im- 
mediately above Omaha, where the present town of Florence lies, some 
15,000 Mormons established a camp, spoken of as "Winter Quarters." Here 
they remained through 1845-46, and to all intents began permanent settle- 
ment. Such inroads did they make however on the timber up and down 
the valley that the Indians, angered at what they considered wanton 
devastation of their lands, sent a bitter complaint to the government. This 
resulted in a peremptory order for the Mormons to move on. The terrible 
journey to the Great Salt Lake was thus begun. Months of toil and hard- 
ship, of suffering and death, amidst the burning desert sands and at the 
hands of hostile Indian bands finally brought the wearied advance euard 
into the beautiful Jordan Valley. But at what a cost! The trail from 
"Winter Quarters" to Salt Lake City was indelibly marked uut for later 

Cast awav garments, brok- 




Territory opened 
to slavery. 



comers. 

en and burned vehicles, bleaching 
bones of cattle and horses fallen by 
the wayside, and graves of weary 
pilgrims scattered along the rout, 
of a thousand miles told the cost 
Many a disheartened wanderer 
shrank from facing these hardships 
and preferred to settle along the 
route of progress in the fertile val- 
leys of Nebraska. In this way nu- 
merous small Mormon settlements 
sprang up along the Platte and its 
forks. The most interesting of 
these, in many respects, was the 
Genoa settlement in Nance county. 
Nebraska Territory in 1854. Here a large tract of land was en- 

closed and divided among a hundred families comprising the original 
settlers and foundations for solid prosperity were laid. Unfortunately 
for them this land was part of the tract set aside by the govern- 
ment for the Pawnee Indians, under the treaty of 1857. On account of this 
circumstance they could not obtain title to the lands. In addition to this 
trouble frequent raids upon their cattle and horses by Sioux and Pawnees 
alike made life precarious. It thus came about that the settlement 
was abandoned and today only a few low, crumbling earthworks mark the 

spot. 

Then came the gold fever. This most seductive of metals was dis- 
covered in 1848. and by the following year thousands were already moving 
through the Platte Valley on their way to California. This event was of 
much importance to the future history of the state. "The moving host left 
here and there a permanent impress upon the land nor was this all; the 
land in turn so charmed the eye, and created so abiding an impression on 
the mind of many a beholder, that wearied with the unequal contest of the 



GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY 51 

camp, they abandoned the pick and spade for the surer implements of 
husbandry; remembering the beautiful valley of the Platte, they sought its 
peaceful hills and plains wherein to erect homes for their declining years." 
In 1851 one William D. Brown established a ferry on the Missouri River 
between the trading post of "Lone Tree," or Omaha, founded back in 1825, 
and the present Council Bluffs. The effect was to divert a measure of the 
traffic held by "Winter Quarters" and Bellevue and to lay the foundations 
for the growth of Nebraska's future metropolis. Furthermore the discovery 
of gold and the consequent growth of empire on the Pacific led to the erec- 
tion of the trans-continental railway lines. Thus originated the Union 
Pacific, hugging close the old overland trail, and other trunk lines which 
together have been the means of throwing open wide the vast resources of 
the state. 

Indeed did the opening of the great Overland route work wonders in the 
development in the future state. Favorable reports were by the thousands 
flocking to the gold coast or returning home, carried to all parts of the 
country. The exceptional advantages held out to all turned the tide of 
immigration into the Nebraska valleys, and prosperous communities sprang 
up along the many rivers. Politicians, too, casting about for more terri- 
tory to erect into slave states early took a hand in the making of the new 
commonwealth. But, first, let us pause for a moment. 

In 1803 the most important real estate transaction in American history 
was consummated. On the 30th of April of that year, Napoleon Bona- 
parte, acting for France, ceded to the United States that vast region lying 
between the Missisippi and the Rockies, popularly known as the Louisiana 
Purchase. Thus, for the paltry sum of 115,000,000— less than four cents 
an acre— were 1,182.752 square miles of the richest lands in the world added 
to our domain, and at the same fortunate stroke was the future mastery of 
the Western Hemisphere by the United States made an assured fact. On the 
20th of December the Stars and Stripes were raised in New Orleans 
"amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants," and the purchase became 
American soil. 

Prior to the purchase of Louisiana the Ohio river was considered the 
line of demarcation between the free north and slave south. About year 
1820 the slavery agitation began to take on a new and dangerous face. 
The struggle had by this time come to center in the national congress. 
Southern politicians feared to lose the balance of power in Congress and 
persistently held out for more slave territory, which would mean more 
representatives in Congress favorable to the perpetuation of their system. 

The province of Maine asked for admission as a state in 1819 and the 
House of Representatives promptly passed the bill; but when it came be- 
fore the Senate, a clause providing for Missouri as a slave state was tacked 
on by the way of amendment. After much heated debate the matter was 
compromised. The contesting factions accepted an amendment proposed 
by Jess B. Thomas of Illinois, which provided, "that in all that territory 
ceded by France to the United States under the name of Louisiana, which 



52 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

lies north of thirty-six degrees, thirty minutes north latitude, not included 
within the limits of the state contemplated by this act, slavery . . . 
shall be and is hereby forever prohibited." In plain language, Missouri 
became a slave state and slavery was forbidden in the remainder of the 
Louisiana territory north of Arkansas. In this way it came about that 
slavery could never be lawfully carried on within the bounds of the future 
state of Nebraska. 

When Missouri was admitted to statehood the territory yet unorganized 
became grossly neglected. Finally in 1834, the jurisdiction of the United 
States District Court of Missouri was extended over part of it; another 
portion was annexed to Michigan Territory, and the remainder became a 
part of Arkansas Territory. A natural consequence of this arrangement 
was the great laxity in law and order on the frontier. Almost the only 
protection against the lawless element in certain parts infesting the terri- 
tory, was the few military posts scattered here and there at long intervals. 

Naturally enough the settlers began to long for a more stable form of 
government. 

Meanwhile the slavery question would not down. The California 
problem had opened again partially healed sectional wounds. That rich 
territory, it will be remembered, lies partly north and partly south of the 
old line of demarcation — latitude 36° 30'. Naturally enough this led the 
pro-slavery people to hope for the erection of a slave state on the Pacific. 
In this they were however destined to sore disappointment as California, 
in December, 1849, asked for admission as a free state. The south felt 
outraged. 

Have we not, exclaimed southern men, been robbed of the richest 
region acquired from Mexico — the region of the war acquisition best suited 
to the furtherance of our system! Just so, and hadn't California and 
extension of slavery to the Pacific been one of the most potent causes of 
the war? Exactly. Little wonder the contest grew exceedingly bitter, and 
engendered a dangerous spirit on both sides of the Mason and Dixon line. 
Again was balm poured upon sectional feeling and the inevitable breach 
postponed for a few years longer. This came about through the Com- 
promise of 1850. But the remedy proved in time almost as bad as the 
disease and early proved a disappointment to friends of peace in both sec- 
tions of the country. Out of it came, in 1857, the Dred Scott Decision by 
the United States Supreme Court, which to all intents opened all northern 
territory to the nefarious traffic. A northern democrat who held that the 
Compromise of 1850 had nullified the Missouri Compromise was Stephen 
Arnold Douglas, United States Senator from Illinois. For many years 
this gentleman had been anxious to organize the vast territory lying west 
of Missouri and Iowa. In January, 1854, Douglas introduced a bill to 
provide for the organization of all this tract as the territory of Nebraska. 
The bill provided "that this territory should be admitted to the Union at 
some future time as one state or as several states, with or without slavery 
as their constitution may prescribe at this time. " Douglas was an ardent 



GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY 53 

advocate of "Popular Sovereignty" and desired to leave the question of 
slavery or no slavery to the vote of the people of the proposed states. Be- 
fore its final passage the bill was changed to provide for the organization 
of two territories, Kansas and Nebraska, instead of just Nebraska. Of 
these, the latter was to include all that part of the region lying between 40 
and 49° north latitude, and extending from the Missouri and the White 
Earth River to the mountains. The bill finally passed both houses and was 
signed by President Pierce on the 30th of May. 

The limits of the new territory were greatly reduced in 1861, when all 
the region north of the 43d parallel became a part of Dakota Territory. 
The same year a part of the southwest corner was added to Colorado and 
the western limit definitely settled on the 110th meridian. This left Ne- 
braska in the shape of a rectangle some 700 miles long and fully 200 miles 
wide. A further carving down occurred in 1863. Then the portion to the 
west of the 104tli meridian was added to Idaho Territory. This reduced 
Nebraska to the present limits, if we except a very small strip in the 
northwest, added to the state in 1882. 

As a first step in the organization of Nebraska Territory, the president, 
Franklin Pierce, appointed Francis Burt of South Carolina, governor, and 
Thomas B. Cuming of Iowa, secretary. The governor reached Bellevue 
October 7, 1854, and took up his abode with Rev. William Hamilton, in 
charge of the Presbyterian Mission House there. No sooner had the new 
head of the government arrived than sickness forced him to take to his 
bed; from this he was destined never again to rise. 

In spite of sickness the oath of office was administered to him by Chief 
Justice Ferguson. This took place on the 16th of October and two days 
later the governor was dead. Thus the very first act in the history of the 
new territory became a sad and tragic one. 

Secretary Cuming immediately took up the reins of government and 
first of all ordered a census taken. To this end the territory was divided 
into six counting districts. By November 20th the table of returns from all 
districts was completed, and showed a population of 2,732, which, no 
doubt consisted in a great part of "floaters" on their way through the 
counting districts. The population ascertained, the acting governor next 
apportioned the 13 councilmen and 26 representatives provided for in the 
Organic Act among eight voting districts. The first general election ever 
held in Nebraska occurred on the 12th day of December, 1854, at which time 
not only were the 39 legislators elected but also a representative to 
Congress. 

The machinery of governmment was now set in motion in all its depart- 
ments. The first Territorial Legislature convened, in obedience to guber- 
natorial proclamation, at Omaha City, January 16, 1855, and the bitter 
contest for the location of the territorial capital was on. Governor Burt 
had intended to make Bellevue the seat of government; but his early demise 
gave the acting governor an opportunity to decide in favor of his personal 
choice, Omaha. For days after the opening of the session crowds of 



54 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



armed men paraded the sreets of Omaha and vowed that no session should 
be held there. Fortunately these hot headed pioneers did not go beyond 
threats, and our new territorial escutcheon was spared the stains of 
early, needless bloodshed. Florence, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and 
several towns farther inland, were all eager to capture the plum, and now 
for twelve years was the fight waged with unceasing bitterness, at one time 
indeed causing the secession of a part of the Territorial Legislature in 
favor of Florence. The struggle developed into a fight for sectional 
supremacy — it became the North Platte country against the South Platte 
country. At last when Nebraska in 1867 was admitted to the union, Lincoln 
in Lancaster county, became the permanent capital. 

It is not our purpose in these pages to attempt a portrayal of the state 
history of our noble commonwealth. In the passage from this part of the 
work to the story of the North Loup Valley let it here suffice that the 
statehood question came up at a very early date. In 1860 the people voted 




The First Dwelling in Lincoln. 1867. 

down a proposal to sail a constitutional convention. Congress passed an 
Enabling Act four years later, and in 1866 a constitution was adopted by 
the state. Congress immediately ratified this action by passing the 
"Admission Act" of July 18, 1866. This act was however pocket- vetoed 
by President Johnson. Next February he again vetoed a similar bill; but 
this was passed over his veto and Nebraska became a state upon the first 
day of March, 1867. 

Thirty-seven years of peaceful development have changed the state 
from the wild "Indian Country" that it was to one of the richest agri- 
cultural states in the Union. This evolution, indeed, albeit suprisingly 
rapid, was not brought about but at some cost. Our fathers, who first 
broke the virgin prairie, suffered all the hardships consequent upon the 
settlement of anew country, before we their children could enjoy the fruits 
of their labor. There were the Indian uprisings, with sad stories of 



GLIMPSES OF STATE HISTORY 55 

settlements destroyed and families broken up, repeated destruction of crops 
by swarms of locusts, destructive windstorms in summer and blizzards in 
winter, hail storms and droughts, in a word, all the evils and hardships 
that go hand in hand with blazing a trail in the unknown. 

In education, Nebraska bears the proud distinction of having the 
lowest percent of illiteracy in the United States. The public school system 
has reached a degree of excellence attained by but few of the older states. 
25<Tpublic high schools with almost 16,000 scholars, 19 private high schools 
and academies with 700 students, an excellent state university with 2,500 
students, and a dozen flourishing denominational and private schools for 
higher education are all doing their share in the great work of maintain- 
ing for the state the high intellectual rank already attained. 

The increase in population, too, has been remarkable. The census of 
1854 showed only 2732. Since that time, by decades, the census shows the 
following figures: In 1860, 28,841; 1870, 122,993; 1880, 452,402; 1890, 
1,058,910; 1900, 1,066,300. In the decade 1890-1900 the population remained 
almost stationary. This is accounted for by the serious droughts which 
were especially severe in the early nineties. A number of the western 
counties actually decreased in population on this account at that time. 
Since 1900 there has been a steady and even rapid influx in population, and 
every county in the state has showed a marked increase. 

Nebraska is chiefly an agricultural state. All the cereals are raised, 
though corn is the most important crop. Up to 1880 the acreage of wheat 
was almost as great as that of corn, but since that time the acreage of 
the former decreased more than 2-5 of the entire area devoted to it. Since 
1890, however, wheat culture has again forged to the fore to such a marked 
extent indeed that the acreage which in 1890 amounted to 798,855, was ten 
years later, 2,538,949. The corn crop acreage increased during the same 
decade from 5,480,279 to 7,335.187, and the hay and forage crop from 2,462,- 
245 to 2,823,652. 

The census of 1900 further shows that for the census year $4,137,000 
was realized from the sale of dairy products, while an equally great amount 
was consumed by the farm population. This is remarkable in the face of 
the fact ,that a few years ago dairying as we now understand it was 
of but little importance. Then cattle were raised chiefly for the packing 
trade. The beef raising industry is nevertheless on the increase. In 1900 
there were in the state 2,663,699 head of cattle. In the same year only three 
states exceeded Nebraska in the number of swine. 

Politically, Nebraska is ranked as a republican state. In every national 
election save one, that of 1896, when a favorite son, William Jennings 
Bryan, carried the state, has it cast its electoral vote for the republican 
candidate. In state politics, as will appear from the appended list of 
territorial and state governors, the elections have by no means been so 
uniformly republican: 

TERRITORIAL 

Francis Burt 1854 Wm. A. Richardson 1858 



56 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



T. B. Cuming (acting) ...,1854-55 J. S. Morton (acting) 1858-59 

Mark W. Izard 1855-57 S. W. Black 1859-61 

T. B. Cuming (acting) 1857-58 A. S. Paddock (acting) . . . . • 1861 

Alvin Saunders 1861-67 



David Butler, Republican. .1867- 

W. H. James, (acting) 1871- 

R. W. Furnas, Republican. .1873- 
Silas Graber, " ..1875 

Albinus Nance, " ..1879- 

Jas. W. Dawes, " ..1883- 

Jobn M. Thayer, " ..1887- 

James E. Boyd, Democrat. .1891 



STATE 

-71 
■73 
-75 



John M. Thayer, Republican 1891-92 
James E. Boyd, Democrat. .1892-93 
Lorenzo Crounse, Republicanl893-95 
-79 Silas A. Holcomb, Fusion ' ■ ■ 1895-99 
83 Wm. A. Poynter, " ....1899-01 
87 Chas.H.Dietrich, Republican 1901 
-91 Ezra P. Savage " 1901-03 

John H. Mickey " 1903- 



Glimpses of the North Loup Valley. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The land lies open and warm in the sun. 
Anvils clamor and mill wheels run. — 
Flocks on the hillsides, herds on the plain: 
The wilderness gladdened with fruit and grain. 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 

IT "WAS midsummer in the year 1904. The author found himself aboard 
an "accommodation" train on the Burlington running between Palmer 
and Burwell. For hours had the puffing engine been jerking and jolting 
the creaking cars through deep cuts in the grotesque hills of Greeley 
county. A thunder-storm was passing overhead. This was the last cut; 
then came the down-grade. And that meant that we were about to enter 
the North Loup Valley. A sudden careening around a steep curve — 
and the first glimpse of the Valley is caught. Wonderful ! Beautiful ! 
The angry thunder-cloud has passed by and only scattered drops are 
falling, glistening: in the sudden burst of sunlight. A few puffs of cloud 
by contrast give life to the deep blue afternoon sky. Right before us the 
bluff chain is broken, and we gaze through the beautiful natural gap to 
the far-stretching panorama beyond. Through a fringe of gnarled, 
dark green scrub-oak the eye seeks the landscape just beyond — a 
vista of river valley, reaching out some four or five miles in width. 
Through it winds like a silver chord, the clear, low-banked North Loup riv- 
er. Broad acres of waving corn, just bursting into tassle; golden squares 
of wheat and oats in shock, and stack. Well-built farm houses surrounded 
by orchards and groves of shade-tree, stud the beautiful expanse every- 
where. On all sides are manifest signs of thrift. Ah ! this is indeed "God's 
Country." The magic wand of enterprise has already outstripped the 
words of the poet who sings: 

"The rudiments of empire here 

Are plastic yet and warm; 
The chaos of a mighty world 

Is rounding into form." 

Indeed it has been shaping swiftly. Thirty-three years ago saw the 
first furrow broken, and now this thronging humanity, this throbbing life 
and thrift! 

Years ago — a, quarter century past — the author, then a little chap, herd- 
ing cattle in the valley above Ord, according to his daily wont, had retreat- 



58 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

ed to a shady nook on the bank of ttie river, while his charges were left to 
shift for themselves. And well they might, for was not the prairies 
theirs for miles around ! He was dreaming all enrapt in the charm of 
the virgin prairie— dreaming of things yet to be. As he lay there seeing 
visions and listening to the gurgling eddying waters swishing by he could 
almost 

" Hear the tread of pioneers 

Of nations yet to be 
The first low wash of waves where soon 

Shall roll a human sea." 

And they came, these pioneers, and they are silently leaving us again 
passing away 10 the realm beyond. And the great human sea is rolling, 
wave upon wave, over the prairie, first trodden by them, obliterating their 
footprints, making this a new land, almost strange to the first comer. They 
endured much, those pathfinders, for us their children, that we might reap 
the fruits of their industry and toil. And shall we thus repay them by 
leaving the history they made unsaid, unsung? No! a thousand times no! 
Let it be taken down that the generations yet unborn may know at what a 
cost the way was paved. How they suffered and toiled and even died that 
the trail of the Loup might be ooened. And now where and what is the 
North Loup Valley— this much praised garden spot of Nebraksa! Let us 
answer this query at once. By the North Loup Valley or region, as here un- 
derstood, is meant all that portion of this drainage system included in 
Loup, Garfield, Valley, Greeley and Howard counties, linked into one 
commonality by one common history, by mutual ties of friendship and good 
will, cemented at the time of first settlement, which have drawn these po- 
litical communities into a bonded union strong enough to disregard mere 
artificial boundary lines set up by law of government. It includes, on the 
roush, the Taylor-Kent district in Loup county, theBurwell-Willow Spings 
lowland in Garfield county, all of Valley county, the Scotia district of 
Greeley county, and the Cotesfield district in Howard county. In other 
words it includes not merely those communities which have a history in 
common but virtually all the really fertile, valuable lands drained by the 
North Loup river and sections from the Middle Loup as well. 

The most important of all this region is the river valley. Here we find 
a fine alluvial floodplain, usually marked by two terraces, the upper bench 
so well adapted to all agricultural purposes, and the ''bottoms" chiefly 
important for their rank growth of forage grasses. The valley, in places, 
reaches a width of almost six miles, and then again, in its upper course, 
dwindles down to a few yards. Geologically almost the entire region be- 
longs to the Champlain Period of the Quaternary Age. The mighty rolling 
or abruptly jutting hills, everywhere flanking the river basin, are com- 
posed almost exclusively of the wonderfully loess clays characteristic of that 
period. As this clay is inexhaustible in its fertility, even the steepest 
hills may be cultivated year after year without the aid of artificial ferti- 
lizers. The upper part of the region only belongs to "another and more 
ancient period — the Pliocene. Portions of Loup and Garfield counties and a 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LOUP VALLEY 



59 



few square miles in northeastern Valley county are encroached uoon by the 
great Pliocene Sand Hills. This part of our Valley is therefore more prop- 
erly a grazing district. To get a more detinite idea of its topography, let 
the reader study carefully the maps of Loup and Garfield counties giv- 
en elsewhere in the book. The North Loup river rises among a cluster 
of small lakes in western Cherry county, just east of the 101st meri- 
dian and about 50 miles from the north line of the state. Some twenty or 
more lakes comprise this group. And a more beautiful region can hardly 
be imagined. Some of the lakes are crystal clear, with pebbly bottoms. 
All nestle in the sandhills, but they are immediately surrounded by grass 
plots of remarkable richness. Out of them flows the river at first a mere 




A View Taken in Olsen's Canyon. 

silver thread, making its way by tortuous windings through the hills, 
which in the upper course approach almost to the river brink. m After it 
enters Loup county the valley becomes well defined, though at first 
narrow and of a sandy consistency. By degrees, however, an alluvial soil 
appears, which becomes deeper and richer as Garfield county is approached. 
The stream itself is shallow and bounded by low, usually treeless banks. 
Small islands, often covered with a dense growth of cotton wood, box- 
elders, ash, and thickets of wild plums and choke cherries, dot the rippling, 
eddying stream, and add much to a scenery which might otherwise become 
a little monotonous. The river bottom is, for the most part, fine shifting 
Sand, but compact enough to make fording by heavy wagons perfectly safe 



60 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



The river sands are, as far as we can ascertain, of Pliocene origin. It 
should be added, though, that in places these beds have been worn through 
and the underlying Miocene sand-stones laid bare. A most remarkable 
instance of this water activity is seen in the falls of the North Loup in 
the sand hill region. Here the river suddenly tumbles over a sandstone 
ledge 12 feet high and almost 50 feet wide, forming: quite a romantic fall, 
and indeed the second largest in the state. At Burwell, in Garfield county 
the North Loup receives its only important tributary, the Calamus. This 
beautiful, clear stream drains a large section of the sand hills and is 
remarkable for the numberless springs that everywhere well up from its 
bottom. 

The sand hills cover hundreds of miles lying north of the Loup and 
even encroach greatly upon its upper drainage. They must have originated, 
as pointed out in Chapter I, from a disintegration of young and poorly con- 
solidated Miocene and, more particularly, Pliocene rocks. 

Before the advent of white man the hills were not so stable as now. 




A Typical "Blowout." 

The vast herds of buffalo which used to roam here, trampled the 
grasses and loosened the sand exposing it to wind and weather, thereby 
causing a perpetual shifting in surface. Then too, the great prairie fires 
which in bygone years annually laid the surface bare and destroyed a very 
important fertilizing debris, are now much more infrequent and may soon 
be a thing of the past. Within the memory of the oldest settler important 
changes have taken place in the once decried sand hills. Now they are 
completely grassed over and are coming to be recognized as some of the 
most important grazing and alfalfa lands in the state. 

An impetus was given to the settlement of the sar.d hills when in the 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LOUP VALLEY 



61 



summer of 1904, the so-called Kinkaid Law went into effect. Under this 
act any bona fide settler in this region may homestead as many as four 
quarter sections of land where previously one quarter section was the 
limit allowed any one homesteader. The wisdom of the law is already 
manifest in the great increase in actual settlers during the first year after 
its passage. 

To the northeast of the river, covering a few square miles in Valley 
county and extending into Garfield county, lie the "Sand Plats."' This 
wierd tract has always been of absorbing interest to the writer. As one 
drives along over its undulating surface, abrupt bluffs rise out of the 
distance, encomoassing the whole area. It appears for everything in 




Road in Olsen's Canyon. 

the world like an immense amphitheatre. The bluffs along the horizon, 
many of them, risE; in steps much like the tiered Roman theatres. There 
cannot be the least doubt as to the origin of this strange land formation. 
It represents the bDttom of a lake, drained out almost within historic 
times. Drifting sands have then blown over the lake bed and giv<m to it 
the present undulating surface. 

South of the sand hills Valley county is a mighty, wavy loess plain 
pierced diagonally by the Hood trough of the North Loun River, which 
divides the county into two unequal triangles. The hill lands to the north- 
east have a southward trend and drain through a series of small creeks 



62 THE TRAIL OP THE LOUP 

■ into the river. The Middle Loup River cuts across the southwest corner of 
the county, whence it runs parallel with the north fork till the two unite 
in Howard county. The uplands between the two streams in Valley 
county form a rolling plateau and drain partly into the North Loup, partly 
into the Middle Loup. The soil is highly fertile and almost every foot of 
ground may be tilled. 

It is interesting to note that the three forks of the Loup, which after 
uniting to form one stream, meandering along for a hundred miles parallel 
to the Platte before pouring their waters into the latter, flowed atone time 
as three separate streams and emptied as such into the Platte. "Later, 
the stronger. Platte, while building up a bed some 300 feet thick, obstructed 
the i!o v of the Loup by throwing sandbars across their mouths, and 
thus forced them to shift their courses eastward or down the Platte valley 
to find a new and united outlet over the steadily rising barrier of sand." 
The following description of Valley county townships is taken from 
the Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor, Lincoln, 1902, and gives in the main 
a fair estimate of our soil: 

RANGE 13. 

Rolling, fertile; North Loup valley. 

Northeast halt: in North Loup valley; fertile; rest rolling; 

19. Southwest half North Loup v illey; rest gently rolling; fertile. 

20. Northeast quarter mostly sand flats, fertile; rest rolling, one-half 



T. 


17. 


T. 


18. 


fertile. 




T. 


19. 


T. 


20. 


tillable 




T. 


17. 


T. 


18. 


undulating 


T. 


19 



T. 


17. 


T. 


18. 


T. 


19-. 


T. 


20. 



RANGE 14. 

All quite rolling, fertile; about two thirds tillable. 
Northeast part quite hilly, fertile; rest Mira valley, gently 
very fertile. 

Southwest third quite rolling, about one-half tillable; rest 
Norch Loup valley, fertile. 

T. 20. North Loup valley ; rest pretty rough, but one-half tillable. 

RANGE 15. 

Rolling; fertile; good farm land. 

All very fertile, mostly in Mir*, valley; little of it quite rolling. 
Mira valley, very fertile; rest rolling, fertile, one half tillable; 
North Loup valley, fertile; northeast sixth rough, fertile. 
southwest half quite rolling, but fertile. 

RANGE 16. 
T. 17. Middle Loup valley, sandy, fertile; balance rolling, fertile. 
T. 18. East two-thirds rolling, fertile, about one-half tillable; rest 
sandy and rouga. 

T. 19. Mira valley in middle east; portions in north and south 
rough; balance rolling, fertile. 

T. 20. Southhalf quite rolling, about one-half tillable; north half 
very rough, good pasture. 

By far the larger fraction of lands in the Loup Valley is fertile 
though here and there right in the heart of the best loess and alluvial 
soils are found unproductive alkali spots. These are, it is true, less 
frequent and smaller in our part of the state than in many other localities. 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LOUP VALLEY 



63 



They appear usually in tablelands and lowlands having poor drainage. The 
standing water escapes by evaporation and the saline compounds, found in 
all water, are left behind. An analysis of the white, brinelike substance 
gathered on the surface of such spots will usually contain a large propor- 
tion of soda compounds, with an occasional excess of lime, potash or 
magnesia. Alkali lands should be kept well plowed, and be given artificial 
drainage if at all possible. Careful tests have proven that wheat rapidly 




Section of Jones' Canyon. 

consumes the alkali. A few crops of this cereal on alkali grounds is 
known to have made the latter well adapted for other grains. 

Thirty-five years ago the Valley was preparing for the advent of the 
pioneer. Before this an occasional pathfinder had hunted and trapped 
along its water courses; but the Sioux war which dragged along and hardly 
came to an end before the close of the sixties made such expeditions 



64 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

extremely hazardous, and kept all but the most foolhardy away. Now, 
however the war was closed and the trapper set his face in earnest north- 
ward, intent on making the beautiful valley his home. And close upon 
his trail followed the pioneer farmer, the maker of the valley. But here let 
us pause again to picture the virgin soil as it must have appeared to the 
first comer, with its flora and fauna. 

A luxuriant growth of wild grasses covered hill and valley, all un- 
touched by the plow. Myriad wild flowers in their season helped to give 
color to the landscape. A heavy growth of hard and soft wood trees then 
covered the river islands much the same as in our day. The really import- 
ant forest growth of those times was the cedar canyons, now long ago 
despoiled of their giant cedars and pines. The most extensive of "these 
were found on the north side of the river between Fort Hartsuff and 
Willow Springs, although well-timbered canyons were found on both sides 
of the river as far up as Taylor, in Loup county. East of the Perks of the 
Loup and Calamus grew an abundance of the Western Yellow Pine (Pinus 
Ponderosa), a remnant of the great fir forests which at one time covered 
much of the sandhill region, and which may again under government care 
be made to flourish there. The cedar canyon especially celebrated was 
"Jones' Canyon" in the immediate vicinity of Willow Springs, known to 
settlers for many miles up and down the valley. The canyons were usually 
deep rifts in -the hills, running more or less at right angles to the river 
plain, with sides so steep and broken as to form an adequate protection 
against the annually recurring prairie fires. Here a splendid growth of 
evergreens nourished. The red cedar (Juniperus Virginianus) was the 
most important for all purposes. Out of them the best dwellings in the 
settlements were erected; and so sought after were they that settlers would 
come from two and three days' journey to get the coveted timber. During 
the early days, when the grasshoppers ravaged the crops, leaving the 
settlers to st:ire starvation in the face, this logging industry became their 
salvation. Great oxloads of cedars were carted all the way to Grand Island, 
a distance of fully eighty miles, and sold to the Union Pacific Rail- 
way Company. 

Three of the most valuable native grasses, growing on the Loup in the 
early days, were the sorghum grass (Surg hum nutans), the blue joint 
(Andropogon furcatus), and the buffalo grass (Buchlae dactyloides). Of 
these all but the latter yet flourish and form the bulk of all our wild 
forage grasses. The sorghum grass is by many experts picked as Ne- 
braska's most nutritious native grass. In early springtime it is not easy 
to distinguish it from bluejoint; when, however its russet like spikeletsin a 
compact panicle make their appearance, all danger of such mistakes 
disappear. It is very hardy and if cut just before frost, makes splendid 
hay. Blue joint grows ranker than the foregoing, the stem when full 
grown is from four to five feet high and is surmounted by a cluster of four 
to six straight, rigid and hairy spikes, from three to five inches long, and 
of a purple color. 



GLIMPSES OP THE NORTH" LOUP VALLEY 



65 



The famous buffalo grass once grew over the whole region between the 
Missouri and the mountains. It formed the chief food of the buffalo and 
has ever been favorite with all kinds of domestic stock. This nutritious 
grass, too well known to need description, is curiously enough rapidly 



% 



H3 



H 



O 




disappearing from the plains, and is in our state threatened with total 
extinction. In the Loup valley where it used to be so abundant now only 
isolated patches are found, and these in depressions and alkali spots. Many 
theories have been advanced to explain this disappearance, occurring as 



66 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

it did contemporaneously with that of the buffalo. The most common 
sense explanation seems to be "that change of climate, especially increase 
of rainfall, had most to do with this phenomenon." 

The Loup was formerly a veritable paradise for game and carnivorous 
beasts. The monarch of all the game roaming here was the bison (Bos 
Americanus). popularly known as the buffalo. Almost incredible stories 
are told by early settlers and freighters across the plains about the size of 
herds they so often encountered. Thus we hear of "Buffalo Bill" estimat- 
ing a certain herd at 500,000. By 1872 the large herds had already left the 
valley of the Loup. Bands from half a dozen to a score continued to roam 
in Garfield and Loup counties for several years longer. As late as the 
summer of 1874 Charles Post and his brothers killed some fine specimens 
on Pebble Creek, and even in 1875 James Barr found a last straggler, dead 
in a wallow near "The Forks." They had for some time been drifting over 
onto the Middle Loup, soon to disappear altogether. For years skulls, 
with fairly well preserved horns, eould be found on the prairie and in 
many an old time home may they yet be seen, adorning some mantel piece 
or wall. 

Great herds of elk (Cervus canadensis) freauented the Loup for years 
after its settlement and were a source of much highly valued food. They 
usually kept to the hills, but would occasionally enter the valley. Mira 
valley, with its surrounding hills, seemed to be their most favorite haunt. 
Two old timers Truman Freeland and A R Harper, state that on one 
occasion they counted fully 500 in one herd grazing in that valley, with 
many smaller bands scattered over the hillsides. Again we are told that 
while Fort Hartsuff was being erected away back in 1875, one day a fine 
herd estimated at at least 300 poured out of the hills on the opposite side 
of the river, near where Elyria now stands, and sought the bottoms at the 
water's edge. All work on the fortifications immediately ceased, as the 
workers to the last man threw down pick and shovel to seize the rifle 
instead. In the pine groves at "The Forks" the elk held out the longest, 
Alex Draver sla.ying the last one there in the winter of 1882. It was not 
an uncommon thing in those days to see tame elk and deer grazing peace- 
fully about the dooryard of some homestead. 

The pronghorn antelope (Antilocapera Americana) was very common. 
Herds of from 20 to 100 of these graceful animals were common 
sights along the hill ranges. Their natural curiosity made them an easy 
prey for the early hunter and they passed from the valley about the same 
time that did the elk. Three species of deer were formerly found here. 
These were the common red deer (Cervus virginianus). the white tailed 
deer (C. leucrus), and the black tailed deer (C. columbianus). 1885 saw 
the last deer in the valley proper. At that time they sought the less 
frequented sand hills to the north, where they were hunted for some years. 
Even in our day an occasional deer may be shot on the Calamus or in the 
lake country. The writer had the good fortune to see several excellent 
specimens on the reed grown banks of Dad's Lake as late as 1893. 



68 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



Bears were never plentiful in our state, the Niobrara country alone 
being their natural haunt. In 1875, however, it appears that one had 
wandered far to the south of his native wilds, for in that year William 
Pierson killed a large silvertipped bear (Ursus Americanus) between the 
North Loup River and Brush Lake. 

Of carnivorous beasts several species of timber wolves skulked about in 
the wooded canyons, and the night on the prairie was often made hideous 
with the yelp of the prairie wolf, or coyote. A few lynxes and wild cats 
were shot in the timber lands. Such valuable fur bearing animals as 
the beaver, otter, mink and marten were numerous. Raccoons and badgers 
yet survive. Opossums, while more at home farther south, have been 




In His Native Wilds. 

found on the Calamus and the upper Loup. Polecats and skunks, prairie 
dogs and ground squirrels of many species have always been with us. 
Gallinacious birds were represented by four species, and of those only 
three now remain. Of these the wild turkey has been seen only a few times 
in our section, and that long ago. The sharp tailed grouse were very 
numerous at one time but are now much reduced in numbers. The prairie 
chicken and quail arrived in the settlements with the first crops and have 
been with us in goodly numbers ever since. The enforcement of stringent 
game laws has made both of these birds, and especially the industrious 
and useful little quail or "Bob White" very plentiful. 

Answerine birds are represented in many species of ducks, geese and 
brants. Wading birds, such as the king plover, the piper and the gray 
snipe, are abundant in the lowlands while the shrill call of the long billed 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LOUP VALLEY 69 

curlew is still heard in the sand hills. Numerous songsters, piscarian 
birds, and birds of prey of many species make the valley their home in 
season. Of reptiles and saurians various turtles and lizards are repres- 
ented. Of snakea, the black snake, the garter snake, the bull snake and 
the prairie rattlesnake have been common. Of these the latter has now 
fortunately become practically extinct. Many species of edible fish have 
ever been abundant in our water courses. Much other animal life, alto- 
gether too numerous to dwell upon here, filled land and water and air 
when the first settler arrived. 

Hill and valley were inviting and rich with an almost profligate abund- 
auce of natural wealth. Nature awaited only the hand of civilized man to 
turn it all to practical uses. And he was coming. The forerunners were 
already in the Valley. 



Cowboy Regime and Forerunners of Civilization. 



CHAPTER V. 

"Your creeds and dogmas of a learned church 
May build a fabric, fair with moral beauty; 
But it would seem that the strong hand of God 
Can, only, 'rase the devil from the heart." — Duo, 

THE early pages of frontier history are usually written in blood. There 
are the harrowing tales of massacre by prowling and vengeful Indians, 
or if these are wanting, then desperate encounters with the lawless element 
incident to life beyond the reach of the arm of law and justice— the con- 
fidence man and gambler, preying upon every newcomer; the old time cow- 
boy element, "shooting up" the town or embroiled in desperate feuds with 
the homesteader; fugitives from justice, lawbreakers of all kinds escaped 
from the older states "back East." The North Loup Valley settlements 
were in most respects no exception to this rule. They experienced their 
share of Indian scares, and can record some thrilling encounters with the 
red men The desperado and gambler too appeared on the borders after 
the first waves of settlement had subsided. But they did not long remain. 
The atmosphere was not congenial and the field anything but profitable. 
The character of the pioneer fathers was of too sterling a makeup to long 
countenance outlawry and all that it begets. So this scum of all new 
civilizations passed away, no more to show its face. Yes, the settlements 
did not escape these experiences, but this w r as to be expected. They might 
have fared much worse. Indeed, should we compare our early days with 
the pioneer history of say, the Middle Loup settlements, our immediate 
neighbors on the west, we might consider ourselves very fortunate indeed. 

In the evolution of the virgin prairie to settled homestead, our valley 
by its fortunate location escaped such harrowing incidents of border feud 
and bloodshed between cowboy occupant and pioneer homesteader as fell 
to the lot of Ouster and other counties west of us. 

At the time when our narrative opens, the cattle industry on the 
Great Plains had taken on vast proportions. Great herds of cattle from 
Texas and the "Pan Handle" were in full possession of "No Man's 
Land" and western Kansas, and great tracts in southern and western 
Nebraska were swarming with thousands of "rangers." The cattle kings 
seized upon all the good herding grounds and built their home ranch on 



COWBOY REGIME 71 

every available watercourse, to the exclusion of actual settlers. Once in 
possession the cattlemen proposed to hold the range in spite of herd law 
and homestead law, by force if necessary. To the good fortune of the 
North Loup country, when the cattle kings first began to invade our state 
settlers were already in full possession of the Platte valley as far west as 
Dawson county. This circumstance checked a direct northward movement 
and forced the oncoming tide to turn to the northwest, thereby sparing 
our part of the state for a few vears, long enough for the first settlers to 
take possession. So by the time the cattle movement could outflank the 
Platte settlements and again swing eastward, gradually to spread over the 
unorganized territory embraced in the South and Middle Loup valleys, 
the North Loup was absolutely safe against encroachment. 

The unorganized territory immediately west of Valley county was, at 
an early date, attached to that county for judicial purposes. And its 
history in a way becomes our history. To properly understand all the 
details surrounding our own development, therefore, it becomes necessary 
to give some attention in the passing, to the lawlessness and bitter strife 
and bloodshed which for some years possessed our Custer county border. 
The natural fertility of the soil in the unorganized territory early attracted 
the attention of landseekers. But to actually homestead the land occupied 
by the cattlemen was a serious matter. The latter considered all such 
attempts as encroachments upon their personal rights, and the settlers as 
so many intruders. The first homesteaders accordingly lived precarious 
lives. Thousands of cattle ranged at will over the country and necessi- 
tated a constant watch over the fields by night and by day. To fence 
one's fields was to invite a raid from cowboys who made short work of all 
such protections. And to resist force with force meant the loss of house 
and home and sometimes life to boot. In those days discretion became the 
better part of valor. 

The years 1877 and '78 witnessed a great influx of settlers to Custer 
county. The fine bottom lands along the water courses became settled 
and it really began to look as though the great herds of cattle would be 
entirely excluded from their old watering places. This to them seeming 
gross injustice angered the cattlemen, especially as it was the general 
opinion then that only the bottom lands were fit for agriculture; these 
occupied by farmers would render practically valueless for grazing the 
thousands of acres of unwatered hill country. Custer county, they argued, 
was a natural grazing country, and should be maintained as such. Another, 
and the immediate cause of many deeds of violence was the prevalence of 
"cattle rustling." It will be borne in mind that the cattlemen allowed 
their stock to roam at will over the range. This meant that for months 
at a time perhaps they would be beyond their owner's reach, who saw them 
usually but once a year at the annual "round up." The straying cattle 
thus fell an easy prey to unscrupulous characters, who would coolly 
shoot them down, slaughter them, and haul them by the wagon load to the 
nearest railroad station for shipment. This traffic took on vast propotions 



72 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



before the cattlemen could notice their losses. When finally they woke to 
a realization of what was happening their rage knew no limits, and death 
by lynching would have been considered almost too good for a culprit 
caught in the act, The real thieves were and remained unknown. 
The cowboys, already prejudiced against the settlers, naturally 
enough charged these crimes to the latter. That the settlers 
did occasionally shoot and slaughter a beef or two there can be little 
doubt — nor was it more than fair recompense for ruined crops — but that 
they were guilty of this wholesale slaughter and exportation no one believes 
for a moment. This crime must be laid at the door of cattle thieves from 
the state at large. 




' ' S ; *" 



Old Mitchell Ranch House, Custer County. 

Matters went from bad to worse till the cattlemen in their desperation 
resolved to drive the settlers to a man from the country. This initiated 
a state of lawlessness very seldom equalled in border feuds. Cold blooded 
murder, in its most cruel form, was repeatedly committed, and no man's 
life or property was deemed safe. The climax of all this misery was the 
murder and burning of Luther Mitchell and Ami Ketchum — one of the most 
dastardly crimes ever chronicled in the criminal history of any nation. So 
gruesome are the details of this heartrending tragedy that we almost rebel 
against repeating them in this narrative. But it is deemed advisable to do 
so in order better to impress our readers with the true significance of the 
North Loup Valley's escape from cowboy regime: 

"One of the most wealthy of the cattle-owners of Nebraska, was I. P. 
Olive, who owned many thousand head of stock that found pasturage in 
Custer cuunty. He had, from time to time, lost a great many animals. 



COWBOY REGIME 73 

some of them undoubtedly stolen by cattle thieves. For this reason he 
became the prime mover in the attempt to expel the settlers from Custer 
county. His headquarters were in this county, although he resided in Plum 
Creek, Dawson county. He had come to Nebraska from Texas on account 
of having been concerned in the killing of several men while there, and it 
is said that he had been guilty of other murders. Fearing both legal and 
personal vengeance, he tied to Nebraska. He was accompanied by his 
brother Robert Olive, who had, to prevent all knowledge of his where 
abouts, assumed the name of Stevens. 

"Luther M. Mitchell and Ami Ketchum were homesteaders, living on 
Clear Creek, where they had made a settlement some time previous. 
Mitchell was an old man, sixty three years of age, a farmer, who had 
removed here from Merrick county. Ketchum had resided in the state for 
some years and had worked at his trade, that of a blacksmith, in several 
towns, but, having decided to go to farming, he entered a homestead here. 
"For some time there had been trouble between the Olives and Ketchum. 
In the attempt to frighten or drive the settlers from the county, they found 
Ketchum too courageuus to be frightened, and too quick and accurate in the 
use of firearms to be driven successfully. Between Stevens, or Bob Olive, 
and Ketchum, there had been a great deal of difficulty. Stevens, as he was 
then known, had on several occasions threatened to kill Ketchum and had 
also accused him of stealing cattle. 

"Some days previous to the trouble that resulted in the death of Stevens, 
one Manley Capel had been arrested on the charge of stealing cattle in 
Custer county, and in his confession, seemed to implicate Ami Ketchum. 
"Stevens, or Bob Olive, was well known as a desperado, and it was also 
known that he and Ketchum were enemies. Yet. Sheriff David Anderson, 
of Buffalo county, made him deputy for the occasion, and gave him a 
warrant for the arrest of Ketchum. This warrant was sworn out by some 
members of the Olive gang, and it has been a question whether this 
warrant was gotten out in good faith, believing Ketchum to be a cattle 
thief,or merely as a pretext to get him into the custody of the Olives. It is 
now generally thought that Ketchum was innocent of any crime, that he was 
merely a peaceable settler, whom Stevens was anxious to kill on account 
of the old enmity, and because he could not be driven from the country by 
threats. It is also generally believed that had he fallen into Stevens' 
hands, he would have been killed on some pretext or other; that there are 
reasons to belive these opinions to be correct, as the following sketch of 
the ensuing tragedy will show. 

"Stevens ensraged three others to accompany him, all rough and 
desperate men, among whom was Barney Armstrong, and proceeded to 
the home of Ketchum, arriving here on Wednesday morning, November 27, 
1878. Mitchell and Ketchum were getting ready on that morning to go to 
a neighbor's to return a bull they had been keeping. Mrs. Mitchell was 
preparing to go with tnem to visit the family of this neighbor— one Mr. 
Do ws— during the day. When they were nearly ready to start, a stranger 



74 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

rode up and asked Ketchum, who was a blacksmith, to shoe his horse. 
Ketchum told him that he could not on that day, and asked him to return 
the next morning, which he promised to do and rode off. It has since been 
supposed that he came there in the interests of the Olives, to see if the 
intended victims were there. Mitchell and Ketchum had put their rifles 
in the wagon, hoping to see some same on their journey. Ketchum also 
took his pistol, which he always carried, from the fact of Stevens having 
threatened his life. 

"While the men were taking care of the animal, Mrs. Mitchell took her 
place on the seat to hold the team. While Mitchell and Ketchum were 
tying the bull to the axle of the wagon and gathreing in the long lariat 
rope by which it was tied, Mrs. Mitchell observed a party of men riding 
toward them, but it attracted no particular attention, as they were fre- 
quently visited by hunters and land seekers. As these men came up, they 
dashed along,, four abreast, and, when they came near, began shooting. 
Stevens, or Bob Olive, was the first to fire, and as he did so, he called to 
Ketchum to throw up his hands. For reply, Ketchum drew his pistol, and, 
at his first shot, Stevens fell forward in his saddle, mortally wounded. 
Meanwhile, the other men kept up the shooting, and Ketchum was wounded 
in the arm. The children came running out of the house, when one of the 
men began firing at them' but without effect. Mitchell reached into the 
wagon, secured his rifle and began firing, but Stevens now turned and rode 
off, and he was soon followed by the remaining cowboys. There were 
from twenty-five to thirty shots fired, but only with the effect stated. As 
soon as the cowboys had ridden away, Mitchell and Ketchum packed up a 
few of their household goods and started to go to Merrick county, where 
Mitchell had formerly lived. They did this as they feared violence from 
the now enraged cowboys. Arriving in Merrick county, tney went directly 
to the residence of Dr. Barnes to attend to Ketchum 's wounds. The next 
morning, acting upon the advice of their friends, the men, Mitchell and 
Ketchum, having secured a place of safety for Mrs. Mitchell and the 
children, started for Custer county, to give themselves up and stand a, trial 
for the killing of Stevens. On their way, when they reached Loup City, 
they visited Judge Wall for legal advice. Judge Wall advised them to go 
no farther, as the cowboys were waiting for them, prepared to lynch them. 
They remained here two or three days, and then went to the house of John 
R. Baker, on Oak Creek, in How T ard county, where they were arrested by 
Sheriff William Letcher, of Merrick county, and Sheriff F. W. Crew, of 
Howard county, giving themselves readily into custody. 

"I. P. Olive had offered a reward of $700 for the arrest of Mitchell and 
Ketchum, and several sheriffs, among whom were Crew, of Howard, Gillan 
of Keith. Anderson, of Buffalo, and Letcher, of Merrick, were anixous to 
capture them that they might secure the reward. But after they were 
captured and in the hands of Crew and Letcher, these officers were un- 
willing to incur the responsibility of taking them to Custer county, and 
turning them over to the blood-thirsty cowboys; therefore, they were 



COWBOY REGIME 75 

finally taken to the Buffalo county jail, in Kearney, and placed in charge of 
Capt. David Anderson, the sheriff of that county, for safe keeping. The 
prisoners were first held without any legal authority, as I. P. Olive had 
given the warrant for their arrest, issued in Custer county, into the hands 
of Harney Gillan, Sheriff uf Keith county to serve. The prisoners had 
engaged T. Darnall, of St. Paul, Neb., and E. C Calkins of Kearney, as 
their attorneys. The attorneys endeavord to keep the prisoners in the jail 
at Kearney, fearing that violence might be done them. The feeling in 
Kearney at that time was against Mitchell and Ketchum, who were 
represented as having killed Stevens while he was fulfilling his duty as an 
officer of the law. A question arose among the sheriffs as to the division 
of the money offered as a reward for Mitchell and Ketchum, which Olive 
had declined paying until they were delivered in Custer county. A 
proposition was finally made to Sheriff Anderson to take them to that 
place, and $50 was offered him for his services. This he declined to do, 
however, unless he was paid enough to enable him to employ a sufficient 
number of men to guard the prisoners. It was finally arranged that Gillan, 
since he held the warrant for their arrest, should take the prisoners to 
Custer county, and he promised to notify their attorneys, Calkins and 
Darnall, so that they could accompany them. As Gillan was a sheriff, and 
his desperate character was not then known, even these attorneys did not 
anticipate any serious difficulty. They, however, kept close watch lest the 
prisoners should be stolen away. 

"On the forenoon of the 10th day of December, Darnall, fearing that 
the prisoners were about to be taken away, was keeping close watch until 
after the emigrant train came in. This train was late, but Darnall remained 
at the depot until he thought it was about time for it to leave, when he started 
away. In the meantime, Gillan had taken the prisoners from the jail, and 
at just the last moment hustled them on the cars. Darnall, then fearing 
trouble, telegraphed to Gillan, at Elm Creek, first station west of Kearaey, 
asking him if he would hold the prisoners at Plum Creek until the arrival 
of the next train from the East. Gillan replied that he would do so. To 
still further secure their safety he also telegraphed to Capt. C. W. 
McNamar an attorney at Plum Creek, asking him to keep close watch, to 
see what was done with the Drisoners on their arrival at that town. Plum 
Creek was the home of I. P. Olive, and here he was surrounded by mar.y 
friends and employees. They, with wagons, met the party as they got off 
the train, and, putting the prisoners into a wagon, started at once for 
Custer county. This was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Capt. McNamar 
being unable to prevail on them to remain, and believing that it was the 
intention to murder the prisoners, followed them for some distance, when 
the party separated, some going in one direction and some in another. He 
followed after the prisoners, however, until after dark, when he lost their 
trail. The Olive party kept on, all coming together on the Loup River, 
about five miles from Olive's ranch, where they went through the process 
of transferring the prisoners from Gillan to Olive. Among those who took 



76 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

the prisoners were Bion Brown, Pedro Dorninicus and Dennis Gartrell, 
Gillan and Dufran walked up the road for a short distance, while the 
remainder of the party started on for Devil's Canyon, Olive riding ahead and 
Gartrell driving the wagon. Olive stopped under a large elm tree. Two 
ropes were thrown over a branch and Gartrell tied one around Ketchum's 
neck and Pedro Dorninicus tied the other around Mitchell's neck. The 
ropes were not prepared with slip nooses, however, but were simply tied 
that their agony might be prolonged. The prisoners were handcuffed 
together. Ketchum was first drawn up. Olive caught up a rifle and shot 
Mitchell. Olive and Gartrell then caught hold of the rope and drew 
Mitchell up. Fisher and Brown pulled on Ketchum's rope. A fire was 
then kindled under them. Accounts differ as to whether this was done 
purposely or not. The party had been indulging freely in whisky, and 
some of them claim that this fire was started accidentally. However this 
may be, the bodies were frighfully burned. Then next day, when the 
bodies were found, about three o'clock in the afternoon, Ketchum was still 
hanging, with his legs burned nearly to a crumbling condition. Mitchell's 
rope had either burned off or had broken, and he was lying on the ground, 
one arm drawn up to Ketchum by the handcuffs, while the other was 
burned off up to the shoulder. 

"As soon as the bodies were found, Capt. McNamar returned to Plum 
Creek and reported the fact. I. P. Olive lived here and also several of 
the men who participated in the murder. They were well known as 
dangerous characters, and no one cared to attempt to arrest them. Indeed 
returning at once to Plum Creek, Olive and his men had threatened to 
kill any one who should attempt to molest them. 

"After a few days, a conference was held at the office of E. C. 
Calkins, at Kearney, to see what could be done. Sheriff James of Plum 
Creek, Dawson county; Sheriff Anderson, of Buffalo; Judge Gaslin, E. C. 
Calkins and others were present. The Judge expressd a willingness to 
issue a warrant, but the question was who should serve it. Sheriff James 
refused to do so, fearing that the murderers could not be captured, and 
even if they could, that he would soon be hunted down by their con- 
federates.* Sheriff Anderson objected to going into another county to make 
an arrest, attended with so much danger, but said that if the murderers 
came into Buffalo county, he would not hesitate to attempt their arrest. 
Two warrants were then made out for the citizens of Kearney and the 
law abiding portion of the inhabitants of Plum Creek had resolved that the 
capture should be made. Atty. Gen. C. J. Dilworth, who resided on his 
farm in Phelps county, near Plum Creek, had fur some time, with the 
assistance of others, been working up a plan for the "capture of the gang. 
On Saturday, January 5, 1879, he telegraphed to Kearney Junction that 
arrangements had been made to take the murderers, and that the citizens 
of Plum Creek only awaited assistance. At the former place, a well armed 
and determined party had been organized under the leadership of Lawrence 
Ketchum, a brother of one of the murdered men. This party had been 



COWBOY REGIME 77 

anxious to attempt the capture of Olive, but had hitherto been held back 
by the wiser counsels of Dil worth, who sought by the use of a little 
strategy to surprise the criminals, and thus save the loss of life that 
would necessarily result from an open attack. 

"On receipt of the message above referred to, the Kearney party took 
the first train bound west and arrived at Plum Creek after dark. Here 
they were met by some of the citizens, who took them to a place of conceal- 
ment, and, upon reconnoitering, it was decided to wait until the next 
morning, when there would be no suspicion, and they could be captured 
one at a time. On Sunday morning, Baldwin was seized at break of day 
at his hotel while starting a fire. A number of the party were concealed 
in the postoffice where Olive and a number of others were captured, one 
at a time, as they came for their mail. Fisher and others were arrested 
singly on the street. There was no bloodshed, and but little show of 
resistance. The prisoners were then taken to Kearney on a special train. 
On their arrival, Olive, Green and some of the others, fearins that they 
were to be lynched, turned pale and showed the most craven fear. They 
were all confined in the Kearney jail at first, but subsequently were 
distributed to jails in different parts of the state. On Monday morning, 
after the capture of Olive, the Mexican Pedro Dominicus, Barney Gillan, 
Sheriff of Keith county, and Phil Dufran were captured and brought in to 
Kearney. 

"The time appointed for the trial was the next spring. The place 
selected by the presiding judge, William Gaslin, was at Hastings. An 
indictment was found against I. P. Olive, John Baldwin. William If Green, 
Fred Fisher, Barney Gillan. Pedro Dominicus, Bion Brown, Phil Dufran, 
Dennis Gartrell, Barney Armstrong, Peter Bielec and a man called Mcln- 
duffer, for the murder of Mitchell and Ketchum. 

"The trial of I. P. Olive and Fred Fisher began at once and lasted for 
some time. Brown and Dufran turned State's evidence, and the evidence 
showed the murder to have been committed in the manner above stated. 
But Olive and his relatives were wealthy, and no expense was spared 
in conducting the case in their behalf. During the trial, which attracted 
the attention of the entire state, hundreds of indignant citizens of various 
parts of the state went to Hastings, hoping to see justice done. Judge 
Gaslin was scrupulously honorable, and the murderers had a fair trial. It 
was known, however, that money was spent freely in behalf of the prisoners 
and at one time it became so apparent that the end of justice would be 
thwarted that the people talked of lynching the prisoners, but as a company 
of soldiers guarded them this was not attempted. Although the evidence 
was strong against the prisoners, showing that they had deliberately 
planned and executed a most foul and cowardly murder, the jury went out 
and returned with a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree. 
Judge Gaslin then sentenced I. P. Olive an Fred Fisher to imprisonment 
for life in the state penitentiary to which place they were taken. 

"Immediately after the sentence of Olive and Fisher, their friends 



78 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

began to try to devise plans to secure their release, and the trial of their 
associates in crime was postponed. The following year, these efforts were 
successful, and the convicts were released from the -peniteniary upon a 
decision of the Supreme Court of the state ordering them to be set free on 
account of technical irregularities in the proceeding of their trial. Let it 
here be stated that Custer county had recently been formed from territory 
that had before the county organization been in two judicial districts but 
now was understood to be attached to the western district. The Supreme 
Court held that the prisoners must be tried within the limits of Custer 
county and at the same time held that this county 'was in no judicial 
district,' and hence, that the murderers could be tried before no district 
judge in the state. This was the decision of two of the judges of the 
Supreme Court, but Judge Samuel Maxwell, all honor to him, dissented in 
one of the ablest legal documents ever prepared in that court. 

"The decision of the court of course practically released the convicts 
and put an end to the prosecution of their associates, nearly all of whom, 
nowever, had been allowed to escape from the county jails in which they 
were confined." 

The closing scene in this terrible drama of blood was enacted in 
Colorado whither 1. P. Olive had sought refuge whh his son William. For 
four years, so the story gues, had the released murderer been shadowed by 
some vengeful enemy, who had gone so far as to bring his son up to share 
this hatred The two, father and son, never let the Olives get a moment's 
respite, but pursued them with the bitterness of death. Finally in 1884 
the stroke falls. The son of the unknown avenger shoots young Olive 
dead in a billiard room; the next day. at a cattle round-up, the crime 
hardened father falls before the unerring shot of the avenger in person. 
It is now time to return to the North Loup, grateful that Providence 
has shielded the Valley from all such horrible tragedies as the one just 
narrated, proud in the knowledge that lynchings, and violence of a similar 
nature against man and law, have never tarnised our fair coat of arms. 

But more, turn back in time — back to the years 1868, and for the last 
time see the Valley preparing for the settler. The surveyor was then 
busy running township lines and preparing the way for the homesteaders. 
Nicholas J. Paul, well known as one of the founders of St. Paul in Howard 
county, had charge of this work. Records show that he completed his 
task in September, 1868. One William Hardin ran all subdivisions between 
1868 and '70. The lands were now ready for filing. 

We have already learned that the first white custodians of the Loup 
were trappers and scouts. Several of these strange dwellers on the out- 
skirts of civilization played important roles in the making of the Valley and 
should be introduced without further delay. 

When the first settlers reached the "Big Bend" in 1872 they encount- 
ered there an odd character, living in a habitation, half dug-out, half log 
hut, perched on the side of a prominent bluff. Standing seventy inches in 
his moccasined feet, erect, muscular, with keen blue eyes, blonde hair, 



COWBOY REGIME 79 

falling in waves over his broad shoulders and massive chest — such was 
Jack Swearengen, popularly known for miles around as "Happy Jack." 
A more upright frontiersman can not be imagined. Always cheerful, 
willing and ready to tramp for days to guide strangers in the Valley. 
Giving was almost a weakness with him. Many a time is he known to 
have gone hungry that some poor fellowman in want might be fed. "Happy 
Jack" has with justice been termed the "Pathfinder of the Loup." When' 
the first settlers arrived he became their guide and adviser. Later, when 
the first settlement was assured, he again took up the trail and became their 
outpost on the Calamus. It was while here that Sioux Indians almost put 
an end to his eventful career. They took him captive and proceeded to 
kindle tne fire for a slow roasting alive, when wiser council prevailed and 
he escaped with his life, on promise never again to be seen in the "Indian 
country." In 1872 he filed upon a claim almost opposite from the site 
of the future Fort Hartsuff. Here he lived for years in a dug-out on the 
edge of the picturesque canyon which to this day goes by the name of 
"Jack's Gulch," or "Happy Jack's Canyon." As a government scout Jack 
won an enviable reputation. He alone should be given the credit for running 
to earth the notorious horsethief "Doc" Middleton, a feat which many 
had attempted but failed. 

Jack was by nature a recluse, and in time melancholia began to cloud 
his old time "happy" countenance. He became distrustful of his fellow- 
men, and immured himself in the old dug-out, where no one cared to 
approach him save his old friends and neighbors, the Goodenows. In 1879 
he was removed by a brother to the old family home in Ohio; here, we 
are told, his malady, pronounced by physicians as "tobacco tremens," 
yielded to expert treatment, and Jack soon regained much of his old vigor 
and cheerfulness. Soon after this his father died, leaving an estate worth 
fully, $40,000. Thus was the old trapper and scout at a stroke placed in 
easy circumstances for the rest of his days. And thereon the old homestead 
he now dwells, no doubt living over again the many stirring events of his 
life on the plains. 

It is deemed advisable to close this chapter on beginnings with the life 
story of another great pathfinder in the Valley, that of Conrad Wentworth. 
The very graphic sketch herewith given was prepared at the author's 
request by one who knew "Little Buckshot" as intimately as a brother — 
George McAnulty of Scotia, himself no mean Indian fighter and soldier, 
and honored as one of our most substantial pioneers. He writes: — 

"Among the many scouts, trappers, hunters, and all around plainsmen 
who have figured in the early history of the North Loup Valley, the most 
picturesque personality was Conrad Wentworth, known at that time from 
the Missouri river to the Rockies as'/'Little Buckshot," government scout 
and Indian trailer and fighter. His splendid courage and daring and 
countless deeds of heroism and self sacrifice have long been celebrated in 
romance and song. To this great scout's tireless energy and constant 
watchfulness the early settlers on the Loup no doubt often owed their 



so 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



safety from attack by the savage Sioux. Wentworth came from a fine old 
southern family, but a natural love of adventure early led him to seek life 
in the West. 

"While yet a mere boy he was employed to carry the United States mail 
from Independence, Missouri, to SantaFe, New Mexico. Here he saw his 
first Indian-fighting and developed the natural instincts of the scout and 




Conrad Wentworth, or "Little Buckshot," Government Scout, Indian Hunter and 
Friend of the Pioneers. 

guide, always watching, guarding. Later he went to Salt Lake City and 
took part in Gen. Johnson's campaign against the Mormons. At this period 
he performed some excellent work as a scout and gained the lifelong 
friendship and gratitude of the officers with whom he served. During the 
Civil War Wentworth acted as scout for Generals Sheridan, Hancock and 
Merritt; his work whs ever of the most perilous nature and full of the 
greatest service to the government. After the war "Buckshot" returned 



COWBOY REGIME 



81 



to the plains to renew his acquaintance with the Indian and the buffalo, 
and for the twelve years next following he was employed as government 
scout and in that capacity came to the Loup Valley in 1871, as chief of 
scouts for the troops sent to guard the first settlers' homes. He was at 



o 



o 




that time an ideal trailer. He was well at home in all the western Indian 
tongues and dialects and his knowledge of the different tribes and their 
customs was simply wonderful. In stature he was rather below medium 
height. As he appeared in those early days dressed in his handsome suit 



82 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

of buckskin, with long curly hair with braided scalp-lock or riding the 
prairie mounted on his famous pony, "Billy," he presented a picture 
never to be forgotten. 

"The settlers had, one and all, the utmost confidence in his judgment 
in all affairs pertaining to Indian craft, and felt perfectly secure when he 
was known to be in the vicinity. Reticent and modest, he seldom referred 
in anyway to the adventures which had made his name a household word. 
A man of great natural refinement, he led a life above all reproach. 
His domestic life was particularly happy, and his devotion to his 
charming young wife and children was touching to behold. Mrs. Went- 
worth was born and reared in Washington D. C but the brave little woman 
that she was, she soon adapted herself to her husband's life and spent many 
happy years with him on the frontier. After passing through scenes of 
adventure such as falls to the lot of but few, the Wentworths settled in 
beautiful SanAntonio, Texas, surrounded by their children and grand- 
children. "Little Buckshot" has lived to see the trackless prairie over 
which he helped guide the vanguard of civilization transformed to a great 
and prosperous section of our common country — the great American 
Republic." 



Coming of the Pioneers. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Center of equal daughters, equal sons, 

All, all alike endear'd, grown, ungrown, young or old, 

Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich. 

Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love, 

A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother, 

Chair' d in the adamant of Time. 

—Walt Whitman 

THE popular highway by which a majority of the early settlers made 
their way into the upper North Loup Valley had its southern termi- 
nus at Grand Island on the Union Pacific railway; thence it extended north- 
ward, by devious windings, through the sand range south of the Middle 
Loup, crossing that river near St. Paul. From this place the trail con- 
tinued its northward trend, entering the North Loup Valley almost due 
north of the above mentioned town, and continuing thereafter up the south 
bank of the river. When the tide of immigration began to turn into the 
upper North Loup country two important settlements were already in 
progress in Howard county— the settlement of the Paul Brothers and 
associates at "Athens," or St. Paul, and that of "The Danish Land and 
Homestead Colony" at Dannebrog. As the history of the upper settlements, 
especially during the early years, is more or less intimately linked with the 
colonization of Howard county it becomes necessary to pause and note the 
circumstances of its origin. 

A cold winter night in December, 1870, saw Nicholas Paul, one of 
the well known Paul Brothers — surveyors and colonizers, and a Mr. 
Moeller, Vice Consul from Denmark to Milwaukee, camped in the 
protecting underbrush on the South Loup, not far from where 
Dannebrog now is. Those two gentlemen, huddled under the bank 
of the river for protection, almost perishing with cold, represented interests 
which culminated in locating the first colonies in the county. Not in the 
least dismayed by such unpropitious a beginning, they weathered the 
wintery blasts and explored the South Loup as far as Sweet Creek before 
returning to the settlements. Acting upon N. J. Paul's favorable report 
a locating committee, consisting of N. J. Paul, Major Frank North, A. J. 
Hoge, Ira Mullen, Joseph Tiffany, Luther H. North, J. E North, Enos 
Johnson, S. W. Smith, Gus Cox and Charles Morse ascended the Loup from 
the Pawnee reservation in Nance County and carefully explored sections 



84 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

of all tnree forks of the river. The committee eventually concluded to stake 
their town near the Middle Loup, just midway between the other two forks. 
This important event occurred about the middle of January, 1871. A 
couple of months later N. J. Paul arrived on the ground with thirty-one 
colonists and in a short time houses were springing up in and about the 
new town. This, by the way, was first called "Athens," later changed to 
St. Paul, in honor of its founders, since there was already one town of 
the former name in the state. 

Meanwhile vice-consul Moeller returned to Milwaukee and organized 
"The Danish Land and Homestead Colony." This oragnization also selec- 
ted a locating committee to come west to further examine the land and 
determine upon the most practical place for settlement. The men chosen for 
this task were Lars Hannibal, John Seehusen, L. M. Petersen, and Paul 
Hansen. A search of several weeks ended in the selection of lands 
on picturesque Oak Creek, southwestward from St. Paul. When the 
colonists arrived they founded here a town and named it Dannebrog to 
commemorate the cross-banner of Denmark, their old homeland. 

Both of the settlements had a normal growth and time and, circumstance 
considered, prospered. The men who built them did not long remain 
strangers to the upper settlements. Our fathers found it very convenient 
to stop over at St. Paul or Dannebrog on their periodic trips to and from 
the "Island." Those were the days of open hearts and hearths. The best 
the household could afford was none too good for the weary wayfarers. 
Ties of friendship were formed then between our fathers and the Howard 
county colonists that neither time nor changing circumstances have been 
able to sunder. Our hearts go out to those sturdy old pioneers "down the 
river" who were ever ready to extend a helping hand to the travel- worn 
trailers of the Loup. Long will their memory be cherished by the sons of 
these fathers. 

It is a well recognized fact in American history that the Church was 
ever a leader in the colonization of our country in the day of its making. 
And when it was ripe for a westward growth the various church 
denominations were among the first to lead their flocks into the wilds. 
The consecrated man of God has been the most important factor upon the 
frontier. He became a pathfinder in a double sense. Not alone did he blaze 
a trail for the later comers, but he also fought to give the settlements the 
Word of God, which meant to establish law and order where chaos might 
otherwise have reigned. He saved the settlements from years of disre- 
gard for law and usurpation of the rights of the individual. He made 
it possible that right and not might ruled the wilds. 

The North Loup Valley was fortunate in this respect. The first 
comers were all earnest church men, seeking here an asylum where to 
worship God according to their own dictates, and untrammeled by other 
denominations; or they were other honest folk of several nationalities, 
intent upon making permanent homes for themselves and their families. 
The very first to consider the possibility of a colony here were Seventh 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 



85 



Day Baptists in Wisconsin. A community of these people, in casting about 
for homes in the new west, were attracted by the general press to the great 
possibilities of Central Nebraska and the Loup river country then in the 
course of exploitation. They lost no time in sending out a committee to 
investigate the practicability of settlement in those much vaunted sections. 

Accordingly, 0. P. Rood, N. B. Prentice, 
Amos Travis, and C. H. Wellman arrived in 
the North Loup ValJey in June 1871. They 
explored the river northward as far as the 
chalk hills opposite Scotia, but determined to 
go no farther, as the majority of the com- 
mittee were not very favorably impressed 
with the country. Especially did it seem to 
them to be too far removed 
from the railway and ready 
facilities for transportation. 
At least one man of the 
four, however, was not dis- 
posed to turn back, and that 




was 0. P. Rood. As he stood 

on the lofty bluffs looking 

north up the valley, this 

must have appeared to him 

a veritable promised land, if we are 

to judge of the enthusiastic minority 

report he made after the committee 

returned to Wisconsin. The majority 

report was adopted and for a time the matter was 

held in abeyance. Fortunately, this was not to be 

the end of it. For shortly we hear that young men 

in the Waushara county community had decided to seek 

homes in the Loup Valley. And for this decision no one 



86 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



is to receive more credit than C. P. Rood. When the boys had finally deter- 
mined to look up cheap lands in the west, his earnest pleadings and offers 
of financial assistance had the desired effect. What was more, Mr. Rood 
in person for a second time that year made the trip from Wisconsin to Ne- 
braska. And be it remembered, such a trip was no laughing matter in those 
days. It meant weeks of weary journeying overland by team, over roads 
oftentimes almost impassable or through wilds where the only paths were 
Indian trails. This second "voluntary committee" kept a diary of their 
journey from the hour of leaving till the hour of return and from it are 
drawn the following data, which will not alone illustrate the difficulties 
to be surmounted in reaching the Loup, but will also tell the story of the 
first men to actually select claims in the Valley. The writer is W. H. Rood, 
who still resides at North Loup. He says : 

"September 28, 1871, in company 
with my father C. P. Rood, my broth- 
er-in-law Mansell Davis and John Shel 
don, a neighbor of my boyhood days, I 
left Dakota, Wisconsin, to view the Loup 
Valley country in Nebraska. My fath- 
er who had been one of a committee of 
four sent out by a colony with head- 
quarters at Dakota, Wis., had in the lat- 
ter part of June and early July visited 
the North Loup Valley. When a ma- 
jority report of the committee was 
against the advisability of settling in 
that part of the country, my father in a 
minority report strongly favored the 
Loup, declaring it extremely well adapt- 
ed for just such a colony. Mansell Davis, 
John Sheldon and myself, having decid- 
ed to go somewhere to look for a home, 
received the proposition from my father, that if we would go to the Loup 
country in Nebraska he was willing to furnish the outfit for travelling 
(horses and wagons) and would stand an equal share of the expenses. 
It was to make this journey that we left Dakota on Sept. 28th 1871. Our 
first day's journey was naturallv a heavy-hearted one knowing as we did, 
that it was to be a long one and likely to keep us from home for some time, 
since our intention was to remain in Nebraska through the winter. We 
found some very sandy roads today. We passed through Monticco and 
camped for the night at Port Hope on the Pox River." 

With this introduction let us leave our trailers to find their own way 
across the states of Illinois and Iowa, as nothing of an unusual nature 
occurred during twenty-four days required for that part of the trip. 

As they are about to enter upon Nebraska soil Mr. Davis writes 
further: "Sunday, October 22. Was on the road by four o'clock this 




C. P. Rood, Member of First and Second Lo 
eating Committees of the Seventh Day Bap 
tists. 



COMTNG OF THE PIONEERS 87 

morning. Reached a point opposite Nebraska City by sunrise. Crossed 
the Missouri River on a steam ferry, and soon were on a rough and hilly 

road in Nebraska Thursday, Oct. 26. Were later than 

usual getting started this morning. Faced a hard cold wind, with lots of 
dust from burned-off prairie. Our road look us up Lincoln Creek to 
Hamilton Center where we camped for the night. The town con- 
sisted of one stone building and a dwelling house. The inhabitants were 
excited over the prospect of a rumored railroad. Friday, Oct. 27. was 
cold this morning and rather tough getting breakfast. Were on the road 
again at sunrise. Left the creek soon after leaving Hamilton and took 
across the prairie to Grand Island. The prairie had recently been burned 
off, so it was very nasty travelling in such a high wind. John 
and I chased some antelope but failed to bag any. Crossed the 
Platte river ford but found little running water. Arrived at Grand 
Island at about noon. Letters from home. Saturday Oct. 28. As this was 
Saturday we remained in camp all day. Saw our first Indians. The 
"Island" is a lively little place. Provisions are getting high. We begin 
to realize that we are getting a long way from home. 

"Sunday, Oct. 29. A terrible wind came up in the night. As we were 
in an exposed place we thought best to hitch up and get on the road again. 
So between two and three o'clock in the morning we were on our way 
across the sand hills to the Loup River. We reached the river at an early 
hour and camped on an island, where we cooked breakfast. In crossing 
over the bluffs between the South Loup and the North Loup we rested for 
a little while at the home of a Mr. Ward (A. Ward of Mira Creek) and 
camped for the night at a sod house where dwelt Andrew J. Gillespie (near 
where Cotesfield now is.) This has been our hardest day's travel yet. 
Monday, Oct. 30th. After getting a good breakfast we set our faces toward 
the bluffs (chalk hills below Scotia Junction). Camped for dinner before 
crossing: the bluffs. We boys followed the river while father crossed the 
hills with the team to the valley above. Went into camp all tired out at 
some willows on the river near where Mansell Davis's farm now is. Are 
now near our journey's end; indeed, we feel as though this is "out West" 
for all settlers are now below us. The day has been fine. Antelope are 
plentiful but there is no time to hunt them. 

Tuesday, Oct. 31. Father and I went down the river and looked at 
some heavy timber before breakfast. On the way back we went up 
stream some distance, and then took across the prairie to reach the wagon, 
but encountered instead a beautiful little creek which I followed for some 
distance. Here I shot a coon. After breakfast I followed a large herd of 
antelope but again failed to bag any. About noon I saw some elk and 
wolves. After some further exploring we returned to the Gillespie home 
for the night. Wednesday, Nov, 11. This morning we started early to see 
what the country was like away from the river. Followed a canyon for some 
distance, and about noon reached a fair sized creek (Davis Creek) on what 
is now the Scott place south of North Loup. After dinner we followed the 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



creek for some distance. Father now doubled on the trail with the team. 
We missed one another that night, and we boys got neither supper nor 
bed that night. . . Friday; Nov. 3. Wanted to go hunting today but were 
obliged to give it up as we had some surveying to do to find the lines of 
the boys' (Mansell and John's) claims. Went up Mira Creek this afternoon 
with Will West, a young man who had been with us for a few days. Again 
we saw game in plenty but failed to kill any. The boys have settled upon 
what claims to take at last, so we are now ready to return to Grand 

Island " 

This is as far as we need pursue the reading of Mr. Rood's diary. It 
should be added that the committee retraced their long journey to Wis- 

cousin that same fall. Here they spent 
a busy winter talking up the new enter- 
prise and making actual preparations to 
settle the Loup Valley the succeeding 
spring 

From the foregoing narrative it 
appears that the Wisconsin colony were 
the first to look over lands of the upper 
Valley and the first to select claims in 
what had just been organized under the 
name of Greeley county; but when it 
comes to first actual settlement, then the 
palm must be given to a handful of men 
coming out of old Denmark.* And the 
facts in the case are as here set forth : 
Between 1869 and '71 five enterprising 
young Danus had arrived in the United 
George Miller. States, hoping here to win the way 

for themselves which economic circumstances in the old homeland forbade. 
In the the spring of 1872 we find them all in Missouri where George Moller 
(GeorgeMiller) was engaged in the Iron Works of Crawford county, while 
Niels Andersen (Nels Andersen) toiled in the Warrensburg coal mines. Peter 
Mortensen, Christian Frey and Jeppe Smith, the other members of the 
little band, took any work which promised to turn ah honest penny. It 
early dawned upon the friends that Missouri was not the place for them; 
indeed they longed for a chance to become their own masters, a chance to 
show their abilities in the line of "nation-building." Thus it came about 
that they formed a "partnership for weal and woe" and cast their lot with 




*Our attention has just been called to the fact that A. M. Stewart, now residing across the line 
in Greeley county actually settled on a claim in Valley county five months before the Danish colony 
entered the county. He picked his quarter in September, 1871, and filed on it January 1, 1872. 
Likewise, A. P. Fish was the very first to move onto a farm in Greeley county. This he did in Sep- 
tember 1872. He therefore appears to be the very first actual settler_in the entire valley above 
Howard county. 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 



89 



the North Loup Valley. This was no sooner said than done. All but 
Christian Prey immediately took ticket for Grand Island and arrived there 
April 10, 1872. The former was obliged to await the arrival of a sum of 
money from Denmark. He is nevertheless to be considered as one of the 
original five, and as one of them he owned his share in the partnership 

outfit. 

At Grand Island all preparations were made for the proposed settle- 




Peter Mortensen. 
ment. There was the outfit to be procured and the thousand and one 
things so essential in a new country, miles from nearest trading depot. 
Peter Mortensen says that "jointly we purchased two ox teams for 
which we paid nearly $400.00, one wagon which cost us an even $100.01), 
two breaking plows and some few other farm and household utensils, for 
which we paid proportionately high prices." When all was ready for the 
start the cattle were "inspanned" and our four adventurers faced north 
for the conquest of the Loup. George Miller, by right of seniority and be- 
cause of much experience gained in Australian wilds and mining camps, 
was recognized as "lead trecker" and headed the train. 

Behold them then good reader, honest men as you know them today 
—Hon. Peter Mortensen, State Treasurer of our great Commonwealth, 



90 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



Nebraska, and the others, thrifty men all, gee-ing andhaw-ing, perspiring 
and "cussing," as they endeavored to keep the stubborn oxen in the trail 
of those tiresome sandhills south of the Middle Loup! Little did they 
then realize what the future had in store for them, either of hardship and 
tribulation or of wealth and honor! The Middle Loup was forded between 
Dannebrog and St. Paul. The latter town was then just one year old and 
boasted four houses all told. On up the valley the journey continued. At 
Cotesfield our travellers found a handful of settlers and a company of 
soldiers on scouting duty. "Happy Jack's" quarters were next reached 
and passed. They were now on the frontier — the very outpost of civiliza- 
tion. The many hues of early springtime were beginning to tint hill and 
vale as the two creaking ox-carts crossed the southern line to the confines 
of Valley "county. And there was springtime in the pioneers' hearts too; 

for here at last was their land of prom- 
ise; of these beautiful river bottoms, of 
these gently rolling hills — the very pick 
was theirs. The first camp was pitched 
on Raccoon Creek, now known as Myra 
or Mira Creek, near the site of the pres- 
ent day North Loup. Claims were lo- 
cated and all preparations made for 
permanent settlement. It soon became 
apparent, however, that the quarters 
chosen would logically belong to the 
Seventh-Day Baptist Colony already 
projected. Accordingly stakes were 
again pulled and our little band con- 
tinued up the valley and for a second 
time camp was pitched, but now imme- 
diately above Dane Creek and not far 
Jeppe Smith. from its confluence with the river. 

The farm lands in the river valley at this point are not excelled for 
beauty of location or fertility of soil by any in our section of the state. 
Here, then, in the very heart of the valley, our pioneers selected for 
permanent settlement, section eight of the present Ord Township. The 
very first thing done was to plow a furrow around the entire section — 
this, by the way, was done by Nels Andersen, who on this account, and 
justly, claims to have been the first to turn the virgin glebe in the Valley 
— and then to cast lots for choice of quarters. These fell out as follows: 
Jeppe Smith, N. W. |; Peter Mortensen, N. E. ±; George Miller, S. E. i; 
and Nels Andersen, S. W. J. When Christian Frey, the fifth member, 
arrived a few weeks later, he selected the S. E. I of Section six, cornering 
with the other section on the northwest. 

For economy's sake the newcomers deemed it advisable to spend the 
first year in a "joint habitation," as Mr. Mortensen puts it. This was a 
part dugout and part log-house, set in the sunny bank of a low sink in the 





***' M 






" • 








<jKBbl 


! ^*k 






jSe 










** i%5*Sr* 




1 








m 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 



91 



latter's claim. Not alone did this humble abode answer as a home for the 
owners, but it became also a sort of hostelry— no pay being taken, let it be 
known— from later comers. Its hospitable roof sheltered many a weary 
wayfarer in the early days. Furthermore, in these unpretentious quarters 
was tried the first criminal suit in the annals of the new county; here was 
neld the first school for the upper half of the county; and here for several 
years, was the county treasurer's office located. We cannot but regret 
that this modest, though historic landmark should have been demolished, 
not even a photograph remaining. The cut here inserted is drawn as 
faithfully as possible from memory and is, at least, in main features, true 
to the original. 

The first summer was a busy one for the newcomers. Prairie had to 
be broken for a first crop of sod corn; trees must be felled on the river 
islands and logs hauled out for buildings to be erected. Then there was 
the all important culinary department. This was George Miller's forte. 
He had, as remarked above, spent some years in the gold fields of Australia, 




A Poor Reproduction of Hon. Peter Mortensen's First Dugout. 

and there proved himself much more successful as a plain cook than as a 
prospector after the delusive gold. Such early experiences stood him 
well in stead now. His "boarders" never grew weary boasting of "Uncle" 
George's culinary skill and of his warm-hearted hospitality to the hungry 
wayfarer. Mr. Mortensen avers that "Uncle George" in addition to 
being a good cook, had considerable luck with his hooks and lines, and 
often surorised his boarders with a fine mess of well baked catfish — a rare 
change from the usual meal of fat bacon." Asa single instance of the 
open-handed hospitality common to all settlers of the early years, let us 
relate the first experiences of Melville Goodenow in the county. "Mell" 
Goodenow, as will be shown elsewhere in these pages, first beheld the 
valley from the hilltops east of the river. In scanning the beautiful, 
peaceful landscape lying immediately below him, where he had scarcely 
expected to find trace of white men, he was, to again quote Mr. Mortensen, 



92 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



"happily surprised in finding evidence of civilization, and was not slow in 
wading the river. In a weak and nearly starved condition he arrived at 
our dugout. Mr. Miller received him in true Danish hospitality, and while 
he was sipping a cup of George's extra strong coffee, the latter soon had 
a catfish and a pan of hot biscuit ready, and soon our friend sat down to 
his first — and probablv the best relished meal eaten in the Loup Valley." 
But let us leave the dugout hostelry and trace out the fortunes of Chris- 
tian Frey. 

When the long awaited money from Denmark finally made its appear- 
ance, Mr. Frey lost no time in shaking the dust of old Missouri from his 
feet and setting out for Grand Island. This thriving little burg he reached 
without any adventures, and was there lucky enough to make the acquaint- 
ance of a Paul Andersen from Dannebrog, who gave him a lift as far as 

that place. From Dannebrog the jour- 
ney was more difficult. It meant a fifty 
mile tramp across the hills, with knap- 
sack on back. 

"Happy Jack's" cabin was the only 
oasis on this part of the trip, and there 
Mr. Frey rested for the night. Bright 
and early the next morning, he was 
again upon the road, ever northward 
along the river. By noon he climbed 
the hills south of where Ord now stands 
and had little difficulty to lucate the 
white tent of his comrades, some two 
or three miles up the valley. Footsore 
and hungry he reached the camp, which 
to his disgust he found deserted and 
the tent closed. However, feeling 
morally sure that he was in the right 
camp and his companions not far away, he made the most of a 
bad case by forcing his way into the tent, where after some 'foraging 
he succeeded in finding cold victuals enough to satisfy a voracious 
appetite. Then with a sigh of the well filled he threw himself upon a 
handy bunk, and was all but drifting into dreamland when, hark! muffled 
hoof beats in the distance! With a leap he is on his feet and outside the 
tent, where a hasty survey of the field lends a vision of several Indian 
warriors on horseback, dashing furiously toward the tent, arms waving 
and well burnished rifle-barrels brandished on high. This was a moment 
to try men at home on the plains, to say nothing of a weary stranger in a 
strange land, suddenly roused from sweet dreams of home across the sea! 
But if these were savage red skins on murder intent, our camp defender 
certainly made ready to sell his life as dearly as possible. His old navy 
pistol of 50 bore, could surely be relied on to dispatch at least one of the foe 
and then the Lord would preserve the just! A handy wagon box made an 




Christian Frey. 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 93 

excellent barricade. Back of this protection, then, Mr. Frey crouched, 
frantically signalling to the oncoming horsemen to halt. Then as bad 
lack would have it, his ancient weapon exploded, all unpremeditated on his 
part, and sent its missile whistling dangerously close to the foe. 

Here was indeed a predicament! The only weapon of defense suddenly 
made useless, for we can scarcely count the folding knife which never had 
seen more serious service than to carve tobacco! And right here the Indians 
make a diversion. They dash apart to take him on the flanks. They are 
almost upon him now. The horses' labored breath is audible above the 
din. The empty pistol may yet make an excellent weapon in a hand-to- 
hand struggle; so, calmly bracing himself for the final, inevitable crash, 
when — what means this? Panting horses suddenly reined to their 
haunches, two astonished pale faces, two pairs of staring, blue eyes, such as 
are found only close up under the Aurora Borealis of old Scandinavia, 
and — "Det var da som Pokker!" from the one, and "Nu har jeg aldrig 
seet Magen !" from the other. Was he dreaming, or was that the tongue 
he had learned to lisp across the sea! There could be no doubt about it. 
Here was a case of mistaken identity — a case of Dane meet Dane! Mutual 
handshakings and explanations revealed the fact that the horsemen were 
Danish trappers, Dahl and Andersen, who had for some time made then* 
camp with the colonists. They knew that their hosts were away from 
camp, not to return till night. It was therefore very natural that they 
should mistake the lone defender of the barricade as an invader and enemy, 
especially as he fired the first shot. Some of our early fathers have claimed 
that Frey got rattled and lost his nerve. But, tell me, what tenderfoot in 
a like predicament could have improved upon our little melodrama? Bat, 
as the author is no Irving and this is no Knickerbocker History, we must 
be done. Only, in passing, let it be said that never for one moment should 
Christian Frey's courage be questioned. A man who is willing and eager 
to hunt Indians on no better steed than a mule, and who slept week after 
week all alone in his little ten by twelve log house when many of his 
neighbors had retired to Cotesfield for fear of Indians is no craven! 

The small Danish colony had hardly more than broken ground on 
their claims before the advance guard of the above-mentioned Seventh- 
Day Baptists reached the deserted first camp on Raccoon Creek. The 
story of their advent is well told by Walter Rood in the North Loup 
Loyalist which runs as follows: 

"Inspired by the glowing accounts of Nebraska as given by the second 
party that had gone to spy out the land, a number decided to emigrate in 
the spring to this land — the west. On April 1, 1872, the first party con- 
sisting of John Sheldon and wife, Mrs. S. M. Janes and family, Mansell 
Davis and wife, and Mrs. Bartow, started on their long overland journey. 
Mrs. Bartow did not reach the place for which she started as she met and 
loved a man in Iowa; they were married and went to Kansas. On April 
3 of the same year Charlie Wellman and wife, George Rood and wife and 
Charlie Rood took their departure. It was expected that the latter party 



94 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

would overtake the former but for some reason failed to do so, tho' Mansell 
was overtaken before the end of the journey was reached. The journey at 
that season of the year was not an easy one to make and was full of 
incidents and mishaps which are laughable now, but which at that time 
were rather serious. At a place where a stop was made one night in the 
Platte Valley they first met and became acquainted with a family that soon 
followed them up into the Loup country — the family was that of Alonzo 
Shepard. When Grand Island was reached George and Charlie Rood 
waited a day or two for Elder Oscar Babcock who was coming by rail and 
who was to join them there and to go up with them. Thus they did not 
reach their journey's end till the 13th of May. 

"Thru letters written to the Sabbath Recorder, the denominational 
organ of the Seventh Day Baptists, others of like faith in Iowa, Wisconsin, 
Missouri, and at Hurnbolt, Nebraska, had learned of the new country and 
many had decided to cast their lot in the new land, so the parties from 
Dakota found others had preceded them. There had come from Humbolt, 
L. S. Davis, A. H. Terry, John Furrow, A. H. Davis and others; from 
other places H. A. Babcock, George Larkin, G. H. Johnson, N. W. Bab- 
cock and others whose names are familiar. Those coming first had camped 
near the river on Will Negley's place opposite "Shepard's Grove;" the 
other party camped near the river and across the creek opposite where 
N. W. Babcock now lives. The days of the first week were spent in getting 
acquainted and in looking over the country; and when the Sabbath came, 
May 18, all gathered at the upper camp where religious services, the first 
ever held in all this Loup Country, were conducted by Elder Babcock, 
who had been ordained to the ministry but a few years before this time. 
The services were conducted in the open air, not even a tent being available 
for shelter. In lieu of a better thing for a pulpit, or something behind 
which he might stand, the Elder used an old rocking chair. The singing 
was led by Charley Rood who was at that time a beardless boy. Thus the 
beginning of their life here, and the foundation upon which they hoped to 
build their homes, was a recognition of God's power and an acknowledgment 
of their faith and trust in Him. 

"The week following this service was spent by the men in locating 
claims and by the women in discussing those questions which are dear to 
every^woman's heart — babies, dress, cooking and their neighbors. The first 
one to take out homestead papers was Garrett Maxson who filed on the 
farm now owned and occupied by A. S. Cleary. The original dugout built 
by Mr. Maxson is still in existance, and is used by Mr. Cleary as a summer 
kitchen. It, with the house on what is known as the Billins farm, built by 
John Sheldon, is the only original house that is in use at this time. It is 
part dug-out and part cottonwood logs cut from what used to be an island 
in the river south of the R. R. bridge at Scotia. 

"Among those who filed on land at this time we mention Elder Babcock 
who homesteaded a part of what is now the townsite of North Loup; Amos 
Burdick, the farm just west of the "42" schoolhouse; Col. Davis, the farm 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 



95 



occupied by Charley Rich; H. A. Babcock, the farm where Claud Hill lives; 
Bert Davis, Burgess' place; Charley Wellman, the place the family still 
owns; A. H. Terry, O. S. Potter's farm where Ed. Brace lives; Dr. 
Badger, McClellan's farm. Nearly all the land taken was in the 
valley and near to North Loup. But few of these who homesteaded 
first now own the land then taken, and Mansell Davis is the only one who 
still owns his farm intact and who has resided continuously upon his land. 
"By the time the second sabbath had come several of the new settlers 
were on their farms, living yet in their wagons, so it was decided to meet 
at the home— wagon— of Charley Wellman for worship on the second sab- 
bath, and again Elder Babcock preached for the little band who gathered 
at the appointed place. During the week following this second sabbath 
service the Elder departed for his home in Wisconsin, thus no preaching 

services were held, yet the colonists con- 
tinued to meet for worship during the 
summer though somewhat irregularly. 
By the 28th all had broken camp 
and were located on their claims, and 
had begun in real earnest the work of 
developing the country. The sum- 
mer was spent in breaking prairie, put- 
ting up hay, trying to raise a little 
sod corn, building some sort of shelter 
for the winter and by some of the 
men in working in the PJatte Valley to 
earn a little money with which to 
purchase their few necessities. As 
nearly all who came here were poor 
and not at all provided with ready cash, 
not very many luxuries were indulged 

Hon. Oscar Babcock; First Preacher in the during this period. And the sod house 

Valley, and dug-out made were not the 

finest in the world, nor were they as well furnished as one might wish 
them to be, yet all were happy and contented with their lot.* Did a plow 
need sharpening, or were some groceries needed a trip to Grand Island was 
necessary. In order that letters from home might be received or letters 
sent to friends, a trip of from thirty to fifty miles must be made. However, 
as these were to be a part of their daily lite the hardy settlers made the 
best of them and they but little realized the hardships they were passing 




*Elder Oscar Babcock in speaking of the dugout says: "It required but little money to build 
one of these houses and to finish it in all its parts. 1 herewith produce a duplicate of an itemized ac- 
count of money actually expended in building one of the structures 14x14 feet on the ground and 
one story high: 1 window, 8x10 glass $1.25: 18 feet lumber for front door .54; 1 latch and 
hinge, no lock, .50; 1 joint pipe to go through roof .30; 3 lbs. nails to make door. etc.. .19. Total 
82.78." 



96 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



through. During the summer other settlers continued to arrive from vari- 
ous parts of the country and by fall quite a respectable settlement was 
formed." 

While the Seventh-Day Baptist colony was thus rapidly getting on its 
feet, the upper colony was by no means lagging. In June a second con- 
tingent arrived. These were Fred Dowhower with family, and a brother, 
John Dowhower, who filed respectively on the northwest quarter and the 
southwest quarter of section six, Ord townsihp, and Palle Moller with 
family, who homesteaded the northeast quarter of the same section. In 
this way it cgme that by the middle of July the settlement comprised eight 
farmsteads contiguous to one another. Fred Dowhower was from the first 
an eccentric and excitable character, but withal a good neighbor, and 
honest and upright in all his dealings. It is with many regrets that his 

many friends, yet living, contemplate his 
sad end in an asylum for the insane, 
after having weathered all the storms in- 
cident to the early seventies and laid 
the foundations to the substantial pros- 
perity which his family now enjoys. The 
old homestead settled in '72 has never 
been allowed to pass out of the family 
being at the present farmed by a son, 
Fred Dowhower, Jr. The brother John 
early tired of the strenuous frontier life 
and abandoned his claim, soon after 
filed on by "Harve" C. Potter. 

Falle Moller arrived with his family 
direct from Hadersley, Denmark. He 
reached Grand Island on the 14th of 
September and there left the family in 
Falle Moller. comfortable quarters, while he, with 

true Danish grit, tramped the entire distance from the "Island" to the 
Dane Creek settlement, a distance of between 60 and 70 miles, "without 
feeling, " as he puts it, "one bit the worse for the trip." After selecting 
his claim Mr. Moller retraced the journey to Grand Island, and purchased 
there a team of horses, wagon, two cows and all necessary household 
utensils. 

Thus equipped he set out for the Loup Valley, reaching the Morten- 
sen dugout late in the day of July 28. While buildings were being erected 
on their homestead the Mollers found shelter under th« hospitable roof of 
our bachelors. Quite an addition indeed was this to the dugout family 
of five — parents, the son Jorgen, and three daughters, Marie, Elizabeth 
and Laura. But those were the days when to incommode oneself was a 
duty and to suffer inconvenience a rule. The Moilers, too, have religi- 
ously guarded the old homestead and never allowed it to pass out of the 
family. It now belongs to the son, Jorgen, who through industry and 




COMING OF THE PIONEERS 97 

exceptional ability has not alone become one of the largest land owners 
and stock raisers in the Valley, having at the present under cultivation 
fully 2000 acres, but he is also prominent in public life, having filled sev- 
eral places of trust in his county, such as chairman of the Board of Super- 
visors for fourteen years. 

Shortly after the arrival of the Dowhowers and the Mollers, a second 
large contingent arrived in search of new homes. They were A. G. Post 
and his son, Frank; William E. Post and his four sons. David, Charles, 
Calvin and Louis; John Case, a brother-in-law of the Posts; Doctor E. D. 
McKenney, and Frank E. Curtis, William E. Post, or "Uncle Billy" as he 
was familiarly called, made the original entry on the farm now owned by J. W. 
Gregory; A. G. Post on the Dick Rea farm now owned by the Garrisons; 
David Post on the Tully farm; Charles on the Elyria' townsite; Calvin on 
the farm just west of the Gregory place ; "Uncle" John on a tract across 
the river and in the same section with the Gregory place; Frank E. Curtis 
on the Ervin Dodge farm; Doctor McKenney on part of section 22, just 
above Elyria. "The Post clan." says Mr. Mortensen. "were regular fron- 
tiersmen, having been in the advance guard of civilization in Illinois, 
Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota. They came to Valley County, I 
believe, from near Logan, Harrison County, Iowa, brought and with them 
a large number of horses, mules, oxen, cattle, utensils and machinery, and 
very soon had a considerable portion of their claim broken, and substantial 
cedar log houses and stables erected. 

"A. G. Post constructed buildings of his own, and with his young wife 
and son Frank, lived at some distance from the others, on the Garrison 
farm: but Uncle Billy with his wife and sons, who were all single men, 
Doctor McKenney and wife, and Uncle John Case, all lived with Mr. Curtis 
on thfi Dodge farm, where they occupied a large two room combination 
log house and dug-out, with large corrals, sheds and stables for their 
horses and cattle. From these quarters the men would scatter in the 
morning for their several occupations, improving their homesteads or 
jointly getting out the heavy cedar logs from the cedar canyons near by, 
while Mrs. Post and Mrs. McKenney remained at home to prepare the 
roast venison and cornbread, which comprised the bill of fare for our table 
at that time. After their day's work the whole company would gather 
around a common table and enjoy the frugal meal prepared by these good 
ladies; and later the men would circle around the lire place with its blaz- 
ing cedar losr fire, on their three-legged stools, to talk over their past ex- 
periences of frontier life and to lay plans for the development and upbuild- 
in£T of the new country and to consider plans of defense in case of sud- 
den attact by the Indians who at that time were roaming over the entire 
state. They were a brave and light-hearted set, these men, generous and 
accommodating and would divide their last morsel with anyone in need." 

Here let us leave them, pathfinders that they were, to further trace 
out the fortunes of Melville Goodenow, whom we left, some pages above, 
in the hospitable care of George Miller at the dug-out hostelry. "Mell" 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



had left his family and most of. his worldly goods near Sioux City, Iowa, 
and in his covered wagon, with an extra saddle-horse, "Billy," tied 
behind, struck out westward to find a home for his family. Failing to find 
what he was seeking in the Elkhorn Valley, he left his heavily loaded 
wagon there, saddled "Billy" and boldly struck out westward. In this 
way it came about that he came to Valley county and found the Danish 
colony in possession. After but little delay he selected a claim some miles 
beyond the first colony, near what was later called ''Happy Jack's Gulch" 
and now in his turn became the extreme outpost to the north. Mr. Goode- 
now's privations and hardships, endured this summer, picture in a graphic 
way what so many of the first settlers had to go through. He broke his 
first twenty acres of prairie, carrying an old army musket; for Indians 

were getting troublesome, and the only 
safety lay ^in eternal vigilance. 

During this period of preparatory 
toil his chief diet was mush and milk, 
the latter coming from a cow borrowed 
from Nels Anderson. But he was in a 
worse plight when we come to consider 
wearing apparel. He tells us that in 
the course of some months his clothes 
became entirely worn out, and in lieu 
of anything better he braided a hat out 
of grass, and fashioned pads of the same 
material, which he lined with soft buf- 
falo grass and tied with buckskin 
thongs to the swollen and festering 
feet. Grain sacks patterned into trous- 
ers then completed this grotesque 
toilet. He must have presented a 
startling appearance indeed when, in the 
early fall, he appeared at the Mortensen dug-out, on his way home to Iowa 
after his family. 

Before being allowed to continue on his way Mr. Mortensen thrust 
upon this Nebraska Robinson Crusoe a ten dollar bill from his own scant 
store, with which to procure civilized garb before leaving Grand Island. 
It is interesting to remember that this kindly act was never lost upon 
the receiver. "When in the spring of '73 he returned from the East with 
his entire household, including family, cattle, horses and smaller stock, 
he proceeded straightway to even up scores. Mr. Mortensen tells us that 
among Mr. Goodenow's provisions was a large barrel of pork, which Mrs. 
Goodenow divided evenly among all present. 

"But, better still, he brought me," continues Mr. Mortensen, 'a 
young Chester White pig which was intended as a starter, or a foundation 
. . . . for building a fortune. Having no pen, I lariated the animal 
close to my dug-out, but fate was against me. Either the grass was too 




Marilla Flynn; First White Woman on the 
Upper Loup. 



COMING OF THE PIONEERS 99 

rich a diet for the animal or the sun too hot on the open prairie. In a few 
weeks the pig died and it took years before I was able to get another start 
in the industry which has done so much to develop our country and state." 

In order to complete our list of settlers of '72 we must not forget to 
count the families who during the summer and fall took possession of land 
east of the river, immediately across from and bfelow the Danish settlement. 
At Springdale "Due" Elias S. Harter opened a small general store which 
sold among many other commodities medicines, tinctures and liquors. The 
grand old man, D. C. Bailey, came across Greeley County, having driven 
all the way from Waupaca, Wisconsin," and with his three sons, George, 
Harry and Prank, filed on land still held by him. W. D. Long, for years a 
leader in politics and now a highly respected land owner and farmer, took 
land close to the Baileys. About the same time too, O. S. Haskell and his 
cultured wife who had the honor of being the first to teach school in the 
upper half of the county, arrived from Illinois and settled in the same 
neighborhood. That same fall and early next spring other families came, 
among them Frank M. Cushing, Frank Chubbuck, Johnson Gerry and 
Van Gorden, while Leslie Scott homesteaded a claiui further down the river. 
On the north Melville Goodenow was not long to remain the outpost; for 
in November of '72 the beginnings were already laid to Garfield county. 
The first settler was Charles H. Jones who came from Allegan, Michigan. 
He left his native state in 1870 and after two years of "roughing it" became 
the pioneer of the above mentioned county. As Mr. Jones became the 
founder of the important Willow Springs settlement, and was for many 
years the center of Garfield county civil and political life, we will let him 
tell his own stor.y : 

"On the 22nd of Feb., 1870, with $50 in my pocket I started west. 
With no definite idea of destination I entered a ticket office in Chicago and 
called for $30 worth of transportation in the direction of Colorado, and 
got a ticket to Kearney, Nebraska. 

"Learning from passengers that the country about Kearney was^quite 
sandy, I got off the train at Columbus (Feb. 24, 1870) and went to work 
choring around a hotel at $10 a month and board. My possessions when 
I landed at Columbus were $5.20, the ticket to Kearny and a big revolver. 
In the spring of 1870 I squatted on a claim and made some improve- 
ments thereon and in the spring of 1871 sold the right for $150. I then 
sent for my wife and boy and in February of that year in company with 
thirteen others in wagons made a trip up the Loup to look at the country, 
going up to where Elba now is, then turning back. On this trip 1 captured 
a pony from the Sioux Indians. The party returned to Columbus on the 
8th of March. The surveyors went out the first of April to run the town- 
ship and section lines in Nance, Greeley, Howard and Sherman counties. 
Mrs. Jones and son (Will) having arrived in June, I hired "Jim" North 
to take us up the Loup to Howard county where I located a claim nearly 
opposite the present townsite of Elba. At that time there were fe-y set- 
tlers in Howard county — the first of them being four months in advance of 



100 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

us. The life of our family at this time was quite strenuous — for six weeks 
after settlement we lived on potatoes and salt alone. 

' 'I was a member of a party that made a trip to the cedar canyons in 
what is now Garfield county in the spring of 1872, after piling for a bridge 
at St. Paul. At that time the surveyors were at work in Valley, Wheeler, 
Loup and Custer counties. The nearest settler to the cedar canyons 
was Mr. Scott, who resided just above the present townsite of Scotia. In 
the fall of 1872 1 sold my claim, hired a couple of teams and six men and 
pulled out for the canyons. After a strenuous trip during which it was 
demostrated that barefooted horses could cross ice by using; woolen 
blankets for foot gear, the party arrived (Nov. 10, 1872) at what was after- 
wards known as "Jones' Canyon." The men helped erect a log house, cut 
wood and haul water and then left for their homes, leaving the Jones 
family established twenty- two miles beyond the nearest settler. During 
the winter Messrs. Messenger, McClimans, T. Freeland and others arrived, 
and in the spring of 1873 several others located here. Deer and elk were 
numerous and the settlers had plenty of meat." 

The above data was taken from Mr. Jones' "Early Events" as set forth 
in the"Burwell Tribune" of Dec. 31, 1903. The writer, who is now an old 
man, is evidently mistaken about some of the details mentioned. For the 
sake of accuracy it is but just to state that the second settler was Trueman 
Freeland who arrived very soon after Jones had squatted at the mouth of 
the cedar canyons. With him came Thomas McClimans. The latter there- 
fore may be considered the third settler. William Pierson and A. R. 
Harper arrived in February of 1873. and may claim rank as fourth and fifth 
settlers. Richard McClimans'came in the early part of 1873, and about the 
same time came the Messengers, William Draver, William Smith, Mrs. 
Bumpus, George Leffingwell, Captain Alger, Frank Webster, I. W. White, 
George McAnulty, Ike Bartholomew, George Horton, Stephen Chase, 
William Wertz, A. A. Alderman, and Ross and William Woods. 



Organization of Valley County— Early Politics. 



CHAPTER VII. 

From age to age man's still aspiring spirit 
Finds wider scope and sees with clearer eyes, 
And those in larger measure dost inherit 
What made thy great forerunners free and wise. 

— James Russell Lowell. Ode. 

WHEREVER in the history of our country a handful of American 
citizens have settled down to set up for themselves civil govern- 
ment their first and chief aim has been to become a loyal part of the 
general commonwealth. Daring the winter of 1872-73 our colonists on 
the North Loup took active steps towards such an organization. The 
state legislature had already, March 1, 1871, provided for the organization 
of a congressional county to comprise townships 17^ 18, 19, and 20 North, 
Ranges 13, 14, 15 and 16 west— this was Valley county. Governor Robert 
W. Furnas was petitioned to take the necessary steps for further organiza- 
tion, and accordingly he issued a proclamation ordering an election to be 
held at the residence of George Larkin on the 18th day of March, 1873. 
This was a memorable day in the historv of Valley county. It meant 
much more than an election usually means. Upon this day was settled for 
good and always the question of county seat location. 

George Larkin's residence was a small dug-out, built in a hillside just 
north of the present flag-station Olean, and was thus a sort of half way 
point between the upper and lower settlements. On the day set the 
entire countryside, counting some 50 odd voters, assembled bright and 
early. Heman A. Babcock, George Larkin and Ash G. Post were appoint- 
ed judges and A. L. Clark and H. Collins clerks of election. As the day 
progressed a spirited though, upon the whole, friendly contest 
developed. All said, the great question upon which all else hinged was, 
shall the upper colony become predominant in the county's politics or shall 
it be the lower? This naturally involved the matter of county seat loca- 
tion. The notice of election was strangely enough silent upon this matter; 
indeed some memoers of the North Loup colony aver to this day that there 
existed a tacit understanding to the effect that the county seat question 
should be left open till the first regular fall election. However this may 
have been, some misunderstanding ensued; many of the North Loupers 



102 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



neglected to vote on the question and departed early for their several 
homes, not learning: till too late that the matter was being settled then and 
there. Some people have even hinted that our sturdy fathers from the 
upper colony "worked " the North Loupers by letting these vote first, and 
then later in the day when the coast was clear and a majority assured, cast 
an almost solid vote for the location of the county seat on Section 21, town- 




Old Precinct Map of Valley County. 

ship 19, its present location. Thus the day was won and the prize was 
gained for the time being, at least, for the upper colony. But right here 
originated a struggle between the two halves of the county for the final 
disposition of this plum. Let no one for a moment think that this first 
defeat discouraged North Loup. This was only the first chapter in an 
interesting struggle which it took several years to terminate. "The 
bridge incident" told below formed its climax and virtually closed the 



ORGANIZATION OF VALLEY COUNTY— EAKLY POLITICS 103 

matter. The March election, aside from this contest was very satisfactory 
to all concerned and resulted in the electon of John Case, D. C. Bailoy 
and L. C. Jacobs, Commissioners; W. D. Long, clerk; E. D. McKenney, 
treasurer; Oscar Babcock, judge; H. A. Babcock, sheriff; Thomas Mc- 
Dowell, surveyor; and Charles Badger, superintendent of schools. 

On page 22, of "Miscellaneous Records No. 1," now preserved in the 
archives of the county, the following interesting resolution appears: 

RESOLVED, That the. Co. Clerk shall make the following resolution a part of the Co. 
Commissioners records: 

To-Wit: Whei-eas, the legal voters of Valley Co., Neb., did by a large majority, at the 
election held March, 18, 1873, for the organization of said county, declare the county seat of 
said County of Valley to be located on.Section Twenty-one (21) Town Nineteen (19), Range 
Fourteen (14); and whereas, the Secretary of State did send a certificate of said location to the 
Co. Clerk of said Valley County, Neb., and whereas, the Statutes of Nebraska make it 
necessary for said certificate to be placed on record in the Book of Miscellaneous Record; and 
whereas, the County of Valley has had no Book of Miscellaneous Record up to this date 
— Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Co. Commissioners of said county, that they do hereby 
order the county clerk to place said certificate of location on record immediately after said 
book comes' to hand of said Co. Clerk of said Co. of Valley, together with this resolution. 
July 16th, '74. 

R. W. Baucroft, Chm., 
Corn's. Present. L. C. Jacobs, 

John Case, Members 
Attest: W. D. Long, Clerk. 

Here follows the "Certificate of Location" mentioned in above resolu- 
tion, with date of record, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, etc., exactly 
as given in the orginal. 

CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION: Dept. Secy of state, Lincoln Neb. Apl, 21st 1873. 
This is to certify that at an election held in the County Co of Valley and State of Ne- 
braska on the 18th day of March 1873, the legal electors therein by a clear majority of their 
Votes declared that Sec. Tweuty-oue (21) Town nineteen (19) range fourteen (14), shall bee the 
County Seat of Said Couni>y of Valley. 

(SEAL) John J. Gaskon, Secy, of State. 

Recorded July 17th 1874. W. D. Long, Co. Clerk. 

A. T. Stacy, Dep'ty. 

It will be noticed that the above commissioner's resolution was made by 
a new board elected at the first regular fall election, the name of R. W. 
Bancroft appearing here in place of that of D. C. Bailey, and that for more 
than a year no record had been kept of the certificate of election. We 
must not from this get the impression though that the first board did 
not do its work well. Far from it, they took hold of their duties with 
creditable energy and considering what they had to work with, did remark- 
ably well. To give the reader some appreciation of early county affairs 
some of the first meetings of the board a're here introduced. Before the 
erection of a court house these meetings were "held around" at the most 
convenient place. The matter of taxation came before the commissioners 
at their first meeting, the minutes of which read as follows: 

June 23, '73. Present L. C. Jacobs, Ch'm., John Case, and D. C. Bailey. Attest E. D. 
McKenney, Co. Clerk. 

First assessors appointed— Geo. B. Rood for south side and Q. S. Haskell for port!; 
side. Horses $:i.0Q-&70 00-Oxen 8?5.00-*70.00 per yoke, 



104 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

This in brief tells the story of the first steps taken to defray the ex- 
penses of the new county government. The following list gives in full the 
first ten warrants paid with the money thus collected: 



No. 


Amt. 


Date 


Services 




To Whom Issued, 


1 


$131 90 


Jan. 


19, 


1874 


Books, blanks, etc. 




Acres & Blackmar 


2 


2 00 


it 




it 


Clerk of Election 




D. A. Post 


3 


7 00 


t, 




u 


Road Commissioner 




D. A. Post 


4 


21 90 


" 




it 


County Commissioner 




John Case 


5 


10 85 


it 




it 


County Commissioner 




John Case 


H 


48 00 


11 




it 


County Commissioner, 


etc. 


L. C. Jacobs 


7 


7 00 


ii 




it 


Sundries 




Charles Badger 


8 


46 55 


" 




u 


County Clerk, etc. 




E. D. McKenney 


9 


98 45 


ii 




it 


Making out tax list of 1873 


W. D. Long 


10 


2 00 


it 




it 


Clerk of Election 




J. H. Collins 



The minutes of February 23, 1874, are rather amusing. As will 
appear later in our story the settlers found it "desirable and expedient" to 
organize a militia company for protection against the Indians. Of this 
company O. S. Haskell was elected captain and M. B. Goodenow lieuten- 
ant. It further appears that there developed considerable feeling over the 
matter of guns furnished by the government. Some of the/'boys" brought 
their grievances before the county commissioners who made the following 
rulings: 

Besolved: That O. S. Haskell be ordered to restore to Wm. Hobson the govt, gun and 
ammunition and accoutrements that he has taken from said Hobson, and now in possession 
of said Haskell. 

Besolved: That M. B. Goodenow be ordered to restore to Mr. Wood the govt gun 
issued to said Wood together with ammuni:ion belonging thereto; also that said Goodenow be 
ordered to deliver the govt, guu that D. A. Post left in his care, to C. C. Post or his order. 

Resolved: That the r.eedle-gun taken from Vvru. Crouk and given to Herbert Thurs- 
ton shall remain in possession of said Thurston subject to the order of the Co. Comm's. 

We read too how early blizzards raging unchecked across the virgin 
prairie, and river torrents unspanned by bridges on occasion kept the 
county fathers from their regular board meeting. Of this the following 
minutes are illustrative: 

County Clerk's Office, Valley Co., Nek, Apl, 21st, 1874 

The County Commissioners met at the office of the Co. Clerk. When meeting was ad- 
journed for want of a quorum caused by a heavy snowstorm. Present R. W. Bar .roft: 

Attest, W. D. Long, C'erk. 

County Clerk's Office, Valley Co Neb , Dec 7, 1874. 

No session of the County Commissioners held by reason of the North Loup being >n an 
uncrossable condition. Attest, W. D. Long, Clerk. 

Now to revert to the county seat controversy hinted at in the first part 
of this chapter. The North Loup party though defeated in the first test of 
strength did not lose courage, and hoped against hope sooner or later to 
be able to wrest the countyseat from the upper settlements. The matter 
which ultimately settled the sorry affair was the so-called "bridge inci- 
dent." The story of this matter is in brief as follows: Settlements were 
rapidly springing up on both sides of the river and the demands for a river 
bridge were becoming imperative. For many months of the year it was 



ORGANIZATION OF VALLEY COUNTY— EA K L V POLITICS 



L05 




impossible to cross from one side to the other. Now in case a bridge was 
to be built, the all important question would be where to build it. The 
strongest settlement on the north side of the river was the Springdale 

settlement immediately across from the 
Dane Creek settlement. Both ihese settle- 
ments, and indeed all the people in the 
upper half of the county, would favor a 
bridge as near as practical to the newly 
voted county seat. North Loup naturally 
enough advocated some point on the river 
near their own settlement; or, for sake of 
compromise, a location midway between 
the upoer and lower settlements. 

As affairs stood in the summer of 1874, 
two of the county commissioners, Case 
and Bancroft, not alone favored building 
Township Map of Valley County. the bridge, but were determined to see it 
built where it was needed the most — and that with them meant near the 
new county seat, Ord. The third member was Jacobs of North Loup, who 
would build the bridge at his home town or not at all. If the 
people should vote to issue bonds for a bridge the building of the 
same would be in the hands of the commissioners, and this would under 
nresent conditions mean a victory for Ord. 

It came to a test, and an election to vote bonds was called for August 25, 
1874. When the vote was counted the bond issue was found to have 
carried by a good majority. Even yet 
the North Loupers did not lose hope. 
There was some question as to the legal- 
ity of the election, just what it was the* 
author has never been able to ascertain. 
At anv rate the contesting faction sent 
the sheriff, who was a North Loup man, 
all the way overland to West Point, to 
apply to the District Court for an injunc- 
tion to stop the issuing of the bond. 
Time was now precious. A commission- 
ers' meeting must be held, the bonds 
must be issued and sold, all in a legal 
manner and before the injunction could 
be returned and served. We may rest 
assured that the up-river men did not 
let the grass grow under their feet! A 

purchaser fur the bonds was already at Grandpa Daniel Cooley Bailey at the Age of 85 

hand in the person of John Means, the Grand Island contractor and 
bridge-builder. The required three days' notice was given and the Board 
of County Commissioners met bright and early on September the 9th, 




106 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



1874, at the residence of Chairman Bancroft — that is, all with the excep- 
tion of Mr. Jacobs, who flatly refused to have anything to do with the pro- 
ceedings. 

The meeting although hurriedly called, was nevertheless held in 
absolute conformity with the law, as the clerk's minutes show. They read : 

Commissioners' meeting, Sept. 9th, '74 
"The Co. Clerk being' ordered by the Comm's., brought forth the abstract of votes cast 
at an election held in and for said Valley county, Neb., on the 25th day of August, 1874, 
wherein the proposition of issuing the bonds of said county to build a bridge across the North 
Loup river was duly submitted to the qualified voters of said county, and upon examination of 
the same it was found that said proposition had carried in the affirmative. Whereupon the 
commissioners resolved to issue the said bonds and let the construction of said bridge to 
private parties." 

But such prosaic records fail to tell the story by half. The excite- 
ment, the fear lest their efforts might be frustrated by a too early return 
of the sheriff, lent a zest to the commissioner's proceedings which none but 
the chief actors themselves can ever fully appreciate. As soon as the above 

resolution was adopted the commissioner 
proceeded to issue the bonds, when it ap- 
peared that no one present could tell just 
how such documents ought to be formu- 
ated, and to make the matter worse 
there was not a solitary law book nor a 
single copy of the Nebraska Statutes at 
hand ! At his dire extremity D. C. 
Bailey was dispatched post haste to 
Grand Island to procure the necessary 
information. This of course meant a 
long adjournment, and meanwhile the 
injunction might appear ! But patience, 
Providence has decreed that Ord must 
win! Do you remember, good reader, 
bow upon a certain night in January of 
'78 Washington's army lay entangled in 
miry roads between the Delaware and 
the Assinpink, hemmed in by the exul- 
the commander-in-chief had despaired 




Dr. Charles Badger; Firat Superintendent 
of Valley County Schools. 

tant Cornwallis, when 



all but 



of safety, that suddenly the elements came to the patriots' succor, 
freezing the roads and providing an avenue for escape? So now 
these same elements came to our fathers' rescue. Heavy rains in the eastern 
part of the state made travel difficult and delayed the sheriff's return from 
West Point, where a misguided judge had granted him the dreaded injunc- 
tion. Westward rains were delayed just long enough to allow Mr. Bailey 
to return from the "Island" with his precious law dryshod. Then 
indeed did the sluices of Heaven open up! And every creek and gully go on 
a rampage, flooding the lowlands far and wide. But neither flood nor 
storm could stop pur stalwart minion of the law. Homeward tie strng: 



ORGANIZATION OF VALLEY COUNTY --EARLY POLITICS 



107 



gled through rain and mire, much delayed though not disheartened. Yet 

it was to avail him nothing. At eight o'clock sharp on the morning sot for 




Remains of the First Frame House in Valley County. This Structure was Erected by 
Orson S. Haskell on His Claim North-East of Ord. in the Summer of 1872. 

the adjourned meeting the crudely formulated bonds were produced and 
sold to John Means, who, as the sole bidder, was also given the contract 
to build the bridge. At just five minutes past eight o'clock the meeting 
adjourned. Ten minutes later the baffled sheriff drew rein in front of Mr. 
Bancroft's residence, but — too late ! It must have been a dramatic spec- 
tacle indeed to have seen the sheriff lashing his foaming and nigh spent 
horses uphill and down hill, across croeks and cannons, on the south bank 

o i ' ■ \' J - ii i . \ ■ \. . i ; «v ■ - : ■ i. ... it 1 r! ■ ii i o o . ii • . i 



108 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



of the river, cursing his luck, but hoping against hope to be in time; while 
Means, the bond-owner and contractor, on the opposite bank, was leisurely 




Emily C. Bancroft and William A. Hobson. 
To settle a much-disputed question amoug oM-timers as to who was the first couple mar- 
ried in Valley county the writer offers the following, taken from the county records: Nels 
Anderson (age 29) and Johanna Mortensen (age 22). married by Elder Oscar Babcock, July 6, 
1873; Wm. A Hobson (age 27) and Emily C. Bancroft (age 17), married by Elder I. A. Bristol, 
August 10, 1873. The dispute originated is the fact that Mr. Anderson neglected to take out 
a license to marry. 

cantering away toward Central City, the important documents snugly 
hidden in his waistcoat pocket! 

Such then was the "deed" by which the bridge was secured and the 



ORGANIZATION OF VALLEY COUNTY — EARLY POLITICS 109 

county seat question finally disposed of. But to get the bridge built and 
paid for was, as it will appear, not so easy. The specifications called for a 
pile and plank structure 831 feet long; for this the contractor was to get 
$12.00 per running foot, or $9972.00. Work was soon under way on the 
bridge-pilings, a levy of two mills was ordered on all property to pay the 
interest on the bonds, and everything seemed in fair way to success, when 
Mr. Means found himself unable to handle the bonds and turn them into 
cash. Work on the bridge was consequently discontinued and tne bonds 
were turned over to the county board. July 13, '75, the commissioners 
determined to make a second attempt at bund sale and this time they were 
successful. Under a new contract, entered into Sept. 8, '75, Mr. Means 
agreed to build the bridge at the rate of $9.00 per running foot and have 
the structure completed by October 20th of the same year. This contract 
was faithfully executed and final settlement was made Nov. 29. 1875. The 
cash cost was $7479.00, which the county settled with warrants amounting 
to $9719.30, placing their face value at 70 per cent. The bridge which in 
our day would have seemed a very crude affair, answered its purpose very 
well and was for many a year the chief connecting link in the traffic be- 
tween the two sides of the North Loup. 

Before closing this chapter on odds and ends it may be of some inter- 
est to know how the county procured its first iron safe — the one now to be 
seen in the county clerk's office at Ord. In time as valuable documents 
began to accumulate on the commissioners' hands, it became a serious 
question to know what to do with them. By 1875, some sort of a depository 
had become absolutely necessary, and it was unanimously decided to pur- 
chase a "safe." The board had no ready money, not even enough to pay 
the freight, as the appended agreement will show and warrants were not 
held in much favor, so the safe became an expensive one. It was purchased 
through one Chas. L. Wundt, representing a Cincinnati house, and was to 
cost $1000.00 and freight, the latter to be prepaid by the selling firm. 
Furthermore, the warrants given in payment were to run "till the B. and 
M. railroad taxes could be collected" and at this particular time that was a 
vexing question with the board. The safe laid down in Grand Island cost 
just $1058.27 plus the freight charges form that place to Ord. When 
eventually paid it represented an outlay of fully $1200.00. The same safe 
could today easily be purchased for one-sixth of that amount. Here are 
the agreements in the original, just as they appear on the record : 

Agreement, E. L. Wundt vs. Co. Conim's. Valley County, Nebraska, Apl. 6th, 1875. 

To the Hon. The Board of County Commissioners of Valley County. Neb. Geuts. 

1 hereby agree and bond myself to pay the freight on the safe this day ordered from 
Cincinnati, Ohio, to Grand Island. Nebraska, and take warrants for same at their actual cash 
value. Chas. L. Wundt. 

"July 13, 1875. — Warrants 74 to 75 issued to Chas L. Wundt for safe and freight on 
same, as per contract of Apl. 6th — 75— One Thousand and Fifty-eight and 27-100 Dollars." 



The Memorable Year 1873 



CHAPTER VIII. 

In the heaven's, in the cloud's, oh! I see 

Many spots — many dark, many red; 

In the heavens, oh! I see 

Many clouds. — Uncas' Chant. 

THE Battle of Summit Springs in July, 1869, practically put an end to 
the Sioux War and soon thereafter a treaty was signed, which remained 
unbroken till the invasion of the Black Hills by miners, consequent upon 
the discovery of gold, led to the desperate war in 1876-'77, which culminated 
with the Custer Massacre. But for years after the peace-signing the Sioux 
made free use of the hunting-grounds in the North Platte country. They 
would sally forth from the agencies along the South Dakota border and 
hunt up and down the Nebraska river courses. Occasionally war parties 
stole away from their agencies. Breaking through the sand hills, they 
would trail the courses of the Cedar and North Loup, suddenly to fall up 
on their ancient foes, the Pawnees, on the Nance county reservation. 

On such marauding expeditions it was not unusual for the Indians to 
run off outlying settlers' cattle and horses and make life as a whole unsafe. 

The Loup Valley settlements were repeatedly harried and for a while 
it looked as though these incursions would put an entire stop to the influx 
of the settlers. Then the government came to the rescue and built Port 
Hartsuff, after which time there was no further danger. The first real 
trouble occurred in the month of March, 1873, when a band of Pine Ridge 
Sioux fell upon the Post settlement north of Turtle Creek and ran off much 
valuable stock. This affair culminated in the burlesque of an Indian hunt 
usually known as "the Battle of Sioux Creek." Right here might the 
history of many of our valient fathers have ended had the Indians been as 
eager for scalps as they were for good saddle horses. As a matter of fact 
the settlers organized a party to hunt the thieves down, and to recover if 
possible, the stolen property. But so inadequately were the members of 
this party equipped and so unskilled were the majority of them in Indian 
warfare that the great wonder is that a single man returned to tell the 
story. Indeed the foolhardy pursuers could readily have been led into an 
ambush and all massacred had the Indians been so disposed. 

The battle as here reviewed is from Peter Mortensen's article in "The 



THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 111 

Ord Democrat" of March 2, 1894, and is here given almost verbatim. 
Speaking of the Turtle Creek settlement, Mr. Mortensen says: 

"The young blood of the Posts, who had been asking for a real tight 
with tne red men, did not have to wait long. One morning in the latter 
days of March, '73 a fine mare and her yearling colt were missing from the 
corral. The footmarks of Indian ponies were noticed around the stables 
and their trail with those of the stolen horse and cult were plain, leading 
southward toward the hills and up the Turtle Creek Valley. All the set- 
tlers were notified and requested to respond at once for the purpose of over- 
taking the red rascals, to recover the stolen horses and such other booty as 
they might have in their possession and to teach them such a lesson as 
would forever prevent them from again stealing any horses from the white 
settlers. To this call responded, as quickly as possible, "Happy Jack" a 
trapper, Indian scout and regular frontiersman, who the previous fall had 
moved his camp from near the chalk hills in Greeley county to the canyon 
bearing his name, near Mr. Goodenow's farm; also A. G. Post and his son 
Frank, John Case, Doctor McKenney, Frank Curtis, the three Post boys, 
David, Charles and Calvin, Falle Moller and Chris. Frey (the latter two re- 
turning home after the first day and before the battle the following morn- 
ing) and the writer, who received the news while plowing on his farm with 
with his ox team. The oxen were immediately liberated from their yoke 
and on the back of a borrowed horse, without a saddle, a borrowed gun and 
a belt with a shot bag containing 27 rounds of cartridges, he hastened to 
meet his companions, who had been preparing sufficient provisions to last 
the company several days. The company were all on horseback with the 
exception, I think, of Mr. Case and A. G. Post, who rode in a spring wag- 
on containing the provisions, camping utensils and blankets. It was esti- 
mated from the trail that the Indians were about twelve in number. There 
were eleven of us when we started out with "Happy Jack" as our leader, 
who it was reported had single-handed defeated as large a band as the one 
we were about to annihilate. And there were the younger Posts. Their 
blood was just more than boiling with enthusiasm enough in each to fight 
the band single-handed. We were armed "to the teeth." Frey brought 
his old musket, loaded to the muzzle with large buck-shot enough to kill 
several of the red bucks if they had been conveniently arranged. He had 
forgotten to bring any extra ammunition. Moller brought his double bar- 
reled shot gun, also heavily loaded. The writer brought a borrowed Spring- 
field needle-gun and 27 rounds of cartridges, but on account of some defect 
in his eyesight and inexperience in handling such a dangerous weapon", 
might as well have brought a willow club. Even "Happy Jack" did not 
carry a breech-loader, but a double-barreled gun, one barrel of which was 
used for shot and the other for ball. Mr. Curtis and Frank Post, I think, 
both carried Spencer carbines, which experience had proven were sure to 
overshoot their marks from ten feet to ten rods, according to distance. The 
rest of the company were armed with muzzle-leading guns and muskets of 
more or less improved patterns. With such arms no wonder we wore cer- 



112 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 




THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 113 

tain of victorv against a foe, who, as we found out later, were armed with 
nothing but Winchester repeating rifles! 

"After receiving our instructions from "Happy Jack" we left Uncle 
Billy at home to protect the two ladies, Mrs. Post and Mrs. McKenney, and 
the remaining horses, about ten in number. Jack was as sure in following 
a trail of Indians as a bloodhound is in following a nigger trail in the 
South, and with him in front, Messrs. Case and Post behind in a buggy with 
our provisions, we started in hot pursuit after the offenders of the Common 
Law and of the Statutes of Nebraska. A few miles up the north branch of 
Turtle Creek the trail divided, the largest body of the Indians crossing the 
creek toward the south, while a trail of two or three Indians and the stol- 
en mare and colt continued on up the creek. This appeared to be in our 
favor. The prospect now was that we would have to tight but two or three 
instead of a dozen. That it would have been very convenient for those In- 
dians who had left the trail to have followed us up and in one of the deep 
draws which we occasionally had to cross to have massacred us all did not 
enter our minds, and probably not theirs, for as it will appear later they 
were not planning for human blood but to steal more horses. Occasional- 
ly along the trail which we continued to follow we noticed pieces of red 
cloth, which "Happy Jack" explained to us was to warn us not to follow 
them, as they would tight us if we came too close. The trail continued to 
lead up to the head cf Turtle Creek, over the divide to Sioux Creek in Loup 
county and down that creek to the North Loup Valley. When we reached 
the valley it was sundown and we decided to go into camp on Sioux Creek 
in a cottonwood grove with plenty of water and dry wood. After par- 
taking of a hearty meal of fried bacon, bread, dried venison and coffee some 
of us, sore and tired, tried to sleep on the damp ground while others were 
scattered arouml our camp to guard us against sudden surprise. But even 
those who were permitted to sleep were but little benefited. The howl of 
a coyote or wolf in the still air or the neighing of the horses tied in the 
brush would startle us or call us to arms by the guard. 

"Before sunrise we had finished our breakfast, broken camp and were 
again in the saddle, following the trail up tne Loup Valley. We had not 
travelled more than an hour, probably 8 or 10 miles, when we heard fierce 
yelling behind us. We were startled to say the least. Our enthusiasm 
went down into our knees and made them shake. The blood rushed to our 
heads and made us dizzy. There they were within 80 or 100 rods of us. 
eight, ten or twelve, more or less. On their little Indian ponies, they 
looked like giants and with their flowing red blankets and feathered hats 
like knights of the Dark Ages. It would have been a grand sight had we 
been in a mood to appreciate it, but we were not. Where was Calvin and 
Frank Post? Where was our hero and leader "Happy Jack?" There he 
stood his pony between him and the Indians, and as pale as a corpse. I 
offered him the service of my needle gun and my 27 rounds but he declined 
and advised us not to shoot. "If you don't shoot at them they will go on 
and not molest us," he said, but they did. 



114 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

"Soon one of the warriors was seen to leap from his horse and delib- 
erately take aim at us with his Winchester over his pony's back and the 
ball went whizz over our head. Soon he was followed by others and the 
balls went whiz-z! whiz-z! whiz-z! Our horses became excited. They had 
caught our enthusiasm and began to run, not towards the Indians but in an 
opposite direction towards the river. The balls kept a whizzing, and 
some were seen to strike on the ground near us. A few times we would 
change front and send a volley after the red skins, who would mount their 
ponies,' circle around a, minute and then again commence to fire at us. 
During our retreat Charles Post and the Doctor, I think, were riding in the 
hind end of the buggy facing the Indians and keeping up a constant firing, 
even after the stock of the Doctor's rifle had caught in the buggy wheel 
and broken its stuck. How long our retreat lasted or what distance it cov- 









i i V . >- 



^-*?"Xx 



A Hand-to-Hand Encounter. 

ered I have no distinct recollection. We might have covered a mile or two 
when we reached a high bank near the river. Here I handed my gun to 
Frank Post and made myself useful holding the boys' horses while they 
opened fire on the Indians at a rather long range, and I fear to little effect. 
When I turned my gun over to Mr. Post I had but 7 rounds left, and as I 
had not fired once I must have lost the other 20 in the excitement. The 
Indians soon got tired of being targets for us to shoot at and took up the 
trail after their companions where we had left it and no doubt soon over- 
took them and over their camp fire had a good laugh over the panic they 
had caused and the trick they had played us. 

"On our way home a valuable mule belonging to A. G. Post and hitch- 
ed to the buggy died some distance west from where Burweil is now lo- 



THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 115 

cated. Whether the cause was from a wound received during the fight, a 
sudden attack of colic, or from excitement, opinions have very largely dif- 
fered, and the facts have never been established. We reached home before 
night where Uncle Billie and the ladies, with tears in their eyes told us of 
the trick the red rascals had played on us. That portion of the Indians whose 
trail we had left on Turtle Creek, and who we supposed had left the local- 
ity post haste, had hid themselves in the hills and after we had passed they 
very cooly and deliberately returned and before the eyes of Mr. Post and 
the ladies, who were powerless to offer any resistance, drove off the rest of 
their horses, nine or ten in number. 

"I don't mean to infer that "Happy Jack" was a coward. While his 
actions were, to say the least, very strange, his superior knowledge of In- 
dians and Indian warfare may have shown him the folly of forcing a fight 
in which the settlers certainly appeared at a disadvantage against their 
better trained and better armed opponents, and thus saved our lives, if not 
our reputations as Indian fighters. 

"Thus ended the first conflict in the North Loup Valley between the 
pioneers and the savages, but it was not the last, as may be noted later on. 
The direct loss to owners was indeed a heavy one, as it represented many 
years of hard earnings. Estimated in dollars and cents It could not have 
been less than $1,500, but the indirect loss in retarding immigration and the 
development of the Valley was many times greater." 

In every way considered, this first experience with the Indians was a 
disastrous one, and satisfied even the most daring among the settlers that 
they were no match for the well-armed, hard-riding Sioux, who had been 
trained by the great Red Cloud. This was indeed a serious matter. Ac- 
cordingly a council was called, and after careful consideration Messrs. 
John Case and A. G. Post were delegated to report the raid to the Com- 
mandar.t uf the Department of the Platte, stationed at Port Omaha, and pe- 
tition the government for protection. As an immediate result the War De- 
partment, ever mindful of the welfare of the frontier settlements, ordered 
Captain Mix with a company of cavalry to make a scouting expedition up 
the valley. The soldiers spent a part of April, 1873, on the Loup; and then 
started on a return trip to Grand Island to report conditions as they found 
them here. The company made the return by way of the Middle Loup, 
having crossed the divide somewhere up in Loup or Cherry county. Just 
as they reached the site of present day Loup City in Sherman county, the 
terrible storm of April 13, of which more will be said hereafter, burst 
with sudden fury on the devoted heads of the troopers. So terrible was 
the blinding blast of the blizzard that the hardy men had to abandon their 
horses and mules in some plum brush, under a high bank of what is to this 
day called Dead Horse Run, to seek shelter in the little store building of 
Frank Ingram, one of the two houses which then comprised Loup City. 
For three long days the sixty soldiers comprising the company were im- 
prisoned here by the storm and when finally released it was to find their 
mounts, to the number of fifty, dead along the creek bottom. This meant 



116 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



a march on foot through the snowdrifted hills to Cotesfield in Howard 
county, where the soldiers arrived after much suffering, cursing the set- 
tlers for causing them to leave their comfortable quarters in Fort Omaha 
to which they returned as soon as means of transportation could bo se- 
cured. 




In May of the same year a second command under Captain Munson 
came into the Valley and went into camp at "Happy Jack's Gulch " 
"While this," says Mr. Mortensen, "to some extent allayed the fears of 



THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 117 

the community, it did nut disperse thorn. The Pawnee tribe was at that 
time on their reservation in what is now known as Nance county. The 
Sioux tribe had full sway over the northwestern part of the state. Be- 
tween these two hostile tribes a continual warfare was kept up and the trail 
between their reservations lay close to the North Loup Valley. Occasion- 
ally a raid would prove unsuccessful and the raiders would run out of pro- 
visions. And provisions they must have, either by begging or stealing, as 
best suited their purpose, from the poor settlers. An effort was made to 
get the soldiers to erect temporary quarters and remain in the Valley over 
winter, but the comforts and social privileges of Fort Omaha were too much 
for the settlers to overcome, and the effort failed. 

"The return of the soldiers to Omaha in the fall of '73 again brought 
fears and uneasiness to the settlers. Hunters and others would circulate 
reports that bands of Indians had been seen in this or that part of the 
county, and settlers in a neighborhood would often gather with their fam- 
ilies in some of the largest and strongest houses, from which scouting par- 
ties would be sent out in different directions, scouring the country in 
search of Indians and Indian trails. In some localities earth works were 
erected, behind which the settlers could gather with their families, in case 
of Indian outbreak." One of these fortifications was built near the pres- 
ent school house in District No. 6, Springdale Township. Traces of an- 
other may yet be seen at an elevation in the meadow-lands of the old Ash 
Post farm, owned by Jorgen Moller. This was the fort erected by the Post 
boys. 

Mrs. Emma Haskell, wife of O. S. Haskell, the founder of Ord, nar- 
rates the following graphic incident in one of these Indian scares — indeed 
the very first one, which resulted from the Sioux Creek fight. "Every 
prairie schooner that came," says she, "was hailed with delight for it 
meant more neighbors. The Baileys arrived in the summer of '72 and 
lived at Springdale in the Harter house while building their own. Dear 
Auntie Bailey! How good she was to me! I shall always love her for it. 
Here we all gathered at the time the Indians ran off the horses on the 
south side of the river — and what a scene it was! It requires an abler pen 
than mine to do it justice. 

"A few days before this a number of families had gone up the river to 
look for land. I do not recall the names of any except two families by the 
name of Chubbuck. I think the others all left. There was a sick woman 
with them. Her husband stopped with her at our house that she might 
rest, and I remember that they were people well advanced in life. It was 
he who afterwards told us the Indians were coming. He had seen Uncle 
Bailey up the river, who did not forget us. In the afternoon we saw a team 
coming at an unusual rate and wondered what was the trouble. It took him 
only a minute to say in excited tones, 'the Indians are murdering 
the women and children and burning the houses. See the smoke. I am 
sent here by Mr. Bailey to tell you to go to his house. Get up!' He 
whipped his horses qntil they fairly ran, whiJ§ the sj.ck woman, sitting 



118 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



in the bottom of the wagon box was tossed and thrown from side to side as 
they passed through the prairie dog town, till I feared she would be thrown 
out, but she only demanded to go faster. In a very few minutes our horses 
were harnessed to the buggy, provisions and a few of. our most precious 
belongings put in, and I wanted to go fast too, for we also had seen the 
smoke. Orson said, 'see! there are no Indians in sight, we have plenty of 
time to get there before dark, and it would kill you to ride like that.' I 
think we were about forty men, women and children in one room that 
night. The wagons were arranged in a half circle around the end of the 
house having the entrance-way and the horses were placed in the corral 
thus formed. Next, lest the roof be set on fire by burning arrows, all 
tubs and buckets on the place were brought in filled with water. In the 




Clifton Hill, One of the Many Strange Loess Formations 
in Garfield county. 

crowding for standingroom, the water was spilled on the floor, babies 
cried, dogs barked, horses kicked, men talked very loud — and you can im- 
agine the rest. All the men had some kind of a weapon, even feeble mind- 
ed Dick Geary, and the wonder is that no one was shot. Long before morn- 
ing I was so tired I did not care whether the Indians came or not. There 
was a bed in the room, only it was taken by babies smaller than I. In sheer 
exhaustion, I think, I found what I supposed a vacant corner, for I remem- 
ber that Mrs. Prank Chubbuck gave me a good shaking and warned me 
that I was sleeping on her baby, (I suppose I owe that baby an apology to 
this day), so I slipped down by the foot of the bed onto a keg of onions and 
slept soundly until morning, when we scattered for our several homes." 

Now before going any further into our Indian history we should pause 
for a brief space of time upon a natural phenomenon which came so sudden- 
ly and was so awful in its effects that those who experienced its visitation 
will never be able to dismiss it from memory. We refer to the great snow- 



THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 119 

storm which raged with terrible fury through the Valley from April 13 to 
16. 1873. 

All prairie dwellers have had their experience with the western "bliz- 
zard," the dreaded winter stormwind of the plains, which is wont to burst 
into a marrow-chilling fury over the plain but lately bathed in a flood of 
sunshine, surprising man and beast far from home and shelter, tossing 
them about with all bearings lost, till chilled to the heart and exhausted 
they sink dying into the drift, the whistling, howling wind singing their 
last requiem. Of late years these storms have been less frequent and of 
shorter duration than in early days when the winds could sweep for hun- 
dreds of miles over the unbroken prairie. Perhaps the most destructive 
storm of this kind in Nebraska was the April storm of '73. Easter Sunday, 
April 13th, was remarkably mild, and gave every promise of coming 
spring. Plowing and seeding were already well under way and the settlers 
were rejoicing in renewed outdoor activity. As the day advanced the at- 
mosphere became murky and early in the afternoon a mild rain began to 
fall. By nightfall the rain was falling freely. But who could have dreamed 
of what was in store for the settlements! 

Sometime in the early night the wind veered to the northeast and later 
to the northwest, and burst with a roar over the Valley. The rain became 
frozen to a fine, powdery snow, which was hurled horizontally through 
space, stinging and blinding, working its way through the smallest aper- 
ture, and in a surprisingly short time had filled every cranny and corner in 
any way exposed. The first shock of the storm left the earth surprised and 
paralyzed in an enshrouding ice-sheet, which rapidly lost itself in heaping 
drifts of snow. 

Before morning men lay shivering in bed, so intensely cold was it 
getting; and cattle and horses, where not properly housed, were perishing. 
Dwelling houses and hay sheds were in many instances entirely buried. In 
places the settlers were unable to reach their barns and cattle sheds till the 
third day, and then at the risk of their lives. A few succeeded in feeding 
their stock a little grain — to get bulky fodder to them was practically out 
of the question. Heroic measures alone saved the settlements from great 
loss. Many a farmer saved his domestic animals by bringing them right in- 
to the house with the family. In the Dane Creek settlement the only loss of 
any moment befell Adam T. Morris, a brother-in-law of Sam A. and O. M. 
Stacy, who the preceding fall had filed on the southeast Quarter of section 
twenty-six, adjoining the fcownsite of Elyria, and who had just arrived with 
his family and stock at the George Miller dugout. When the rain began to 
fall Mr. Morris's best team was sheltered in a new barn built by Nels An- 
derson on the latter 's claim, one-half of a mile distant. When the storm 
had abated sufficiently to allow the owner to reach tbem, he found the 
stable drifted full of snow to the rafters and both animals dead. The fam- 
ily and the only remaining horse were saved from certain death by George 
Miller, who had them move from their prairie schooner into his dugout — 
family, horse and all. 



120 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

George W. Larkin, down near Olean, found his shed full of snow on 
the morning of the first day. With almost superhuman effort he succeeded 
in extricating his ox-team from the drift. These he then led into the dug- 
out — the same in which the first county election was held — and for three 
long days shared his narrow quarters with his bovine friends. 

Austin Terry of the North Loup colony, lost his only span of horses, 
and Elder Ira Bristol of the same locality, his only cow. Elder Oscar Bab- 
cock awoke late in the forenoon to find the room in inky darkness. His 
dugout was entirely snowed under, and only after digging an eight foot 
tunnel did he find daylight. L. C. Jacobs, the county commissioner, had 
an unique experience He found it necessary to bring all his stock, horses,' 
cows, pigs and chickens into the one-room dwelling house. To make room 
for all he rigged quarters for his family up under the rafters, un a sort of 
a swinging platform. Here they spent several never-to-be-forgotten days. 

The great wonder was that the upper Valley escaped with as light a 
loss as it did. It is almost impossible for us now to conceive of the fury of 
this storm or to appreciate the amount of snow that fell. Thus John Shel- 
don of North Loup tells us that canyons forty feet deep were filled with 
snow to the ^ery top, and that it became hard enough for a man to walk 
across on the crust. Snow lay in the ravines till late in June. 

Farther down the Loup the losses were much more serious. We have 
already heard how Captain Mix. lost practically all his cavalry mounts at 
Dead Horse Run in Sherman county, and in Howard county which was old- 
er and had more to lose, conditions were still worse. "Horse stables and 
cattle corrals were covered with the whirling snow, and there the cattle and 
horses were obliged to remain without food, for so blinding was the rapid- 
ly falling snow, driven by the violent winds, that it was impossible that 
any human being could go to them to care for them. It was almost sure 
death for anyone to venture out even for a short distance from the house. 
During the storm nearly one-half the cattle in the county perished. 

"Among the settlers, a great deal of suffering was experienced. Sev- 
eral perished during the storm, the details of whose death is truly sad. 

"One of those who died was Miss Lizzie Cooper, who had taught the 
St. Paul school the previous year. Mr, Cooper was absent in Grand 
Island on business. The only son was also away. Mrs. Cooper and her 
two daughters, Lizzie and, Emma, were left alone. Lacking fuel, on April 
16th, the girls determined to so to a neighbor's for relief. After carefully 
wrapping Mrs. Cooper in blankets and covering her in bed they started out. 
The cold was so intense and the snow so blinding they very soon lost their 
way. Still they struggled bravely on, hoping against hope, that they 
might reach some habitation and procure relief for their aged mother. 
Soon they began to be so exhausted that it was almost impossible for them 
to move. Seeing that there was now no hope of reaching the homes of any 
of their neighbors, they tried to reach an abandoned dugout in a canyon, 
which they thought they could find. Pressing on, sometimes stumbling, 
through the rough lands just off from the Cotesfield road, Lizzie soon drop- 



THE MEMORABLE YEAR 1873 



121 



ped from sheer exhaustion and could go no farther. This was partially un- 
der the bank of a canyon. Emma did all she could to urge her sister on, 
but it was impossible for her to move. Lizzie was soon dead. The devoted 
Emma remained with the dead body of her sister all that day and all night. 
Being partially protected by the bank above, the snow soon drifted over 
her, and this saved her life. By continued struggling she managed to keep 
from smothering. In the mornine she left her dead sister to try to find 
some habitation Half dead and nearly crazed from the effects of grief, 
hunger and cold, she rushed madly on, hardly knowing what she did. The 
storm had now abated, but the snow, driven by the heavy winds, made it 
almost impossible to find the way. As she passed the home of W. P. 





'•i'r^B' * • *» ■ ■ 




• • 

9 




* 




■A - 





The Original Dowhower Log-house Six Miles North of Ord. Erected in 1872-'73. 

Wyman, on the farm of Capt. Munsen, she was seen to be rushing wildly 
on, sometimes on hands and knees, and sometimes on her feet. So nearly 
unconsciuus was she that she passed only a few rods from the bouse with- 
out seeing it. She was stopped, taken in and cared for. As soon as the 
poor girl could speak, she managed to let them know what had befallen her 
sister, and that her mother was left alone the day before. A party soon 
organized to go to the relief of Mrs. Cooper. 

''When they arrived at the house they found she was gone. Looking for 
her on the road they frequently found pieces of clothing, and all the indi- 
cations that the woman had pushed on. frequently falling from exhaustion, 
and then recovering her strength had again struggled on. In a short time, 
her dead body was found, partially covered with snow and stark and stiff. 
It is supposed that on the day the girls started out she became alarmed at 
their protracted absence and started to look for them, andjsopn perished, 



122 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

With a mother's guiding counsels and an older sister's love so suddenly 
withdrawn, Emma has since led a sad and lonely life." 

But the above were not the only lives lost in this terrible and long- 
to-be-rememered storm. Dillon Haworth and his family, consisting of his 
wife and two children, were living on a pleasant farm that they were just 
opening up on Spring Creek. Becoming frightened at the long continuance 
of the storm they started, it is supposed, to find a neighbor's house. At 
all events the dead bodies of the entire family, except the babe, one 
half year old, were found dead the next day after the storm some distance 
apart. The babe was the only one found alive, and she was clasped to her 
mother's breast. 

Such, in brief, was the April storm of '73, a storm which the hard- 
iest of the old timers cannot recount without an involuntary shudder. 



Indians and Grasshoppers. 



CHAPTER IX. 

"The Lord only knows which harmed the poor settlers the more, the prowling. 
Red-skins who were wont to sally forth from the hills and uplands or the green imps 
of satan the grasshoppers, which pounced upon us in bewildering hordes — both 
literally took the bread out of our mouths." — An Old Pioneer. 

THE SUMMER of 73 was a busy season in the settlements. White- 
topped prairie schooners with their quota of brawny homeseekers 
were now common sights in the valley. Everywhere were there signs of 
settlement. 

The older colonies steadily grew outward, and the space between them 
was steadily becoming smaller, till indeed farm-places occupied the river 
course in a continuous chain from Scotia to Willow Springs at the mouth 
of Jones' Canyon, and were even pushing beyond The Forks into the unor- 
ganized territory. From St. Paul and Loup City settlers were pushing 
northward along the Middle Loup and settling that part of Valley county. 
Early in '73 the foundations of Brownville, or Arcadia were laid and an in- 
teresting community, whose history will be chronicled in later pages, 
took its beginning. 

Much prairie was broken during the months of April, May and June, 
and quite a large acreage of sod corn planted The "back-settins" of the 
previous season was sown with small grain, or planted with corn and pota- 
toes. Considered as a whole the yield was fair; and this was indeed fortu- 
nate for disastrous years were even now to come upon the settlements. 

The summer passed away peacefully enough. The prowling Indian for 
some reason steered clear of the Valley, and had not since the Sioux Creek 
Fight molested any of the farmsteads. Fall and beautiful Indian summer 
came, and still no signs of him. But with the setting in of winter In- 
dian signs became numerous. And hunters and trappers began to encoun- 
ter small parties in the hills east of the river. Soon bands returning from 
unsuccessful raids upon the Pawnees, driven by hunger, openly entered the 
settlements, begging and stealing. This led to another fight, the most 
memorable in our frontier history — the so-called Battle of Pebble Creek. 
George McAnulty who was one of the chief actors in this tragic fray 
recounts the causes and chief points of interest thus: "During the spring 
and summer of '73, quite a number of settlers, attracted by the great beauty 



124 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

of the valley at tbat point, and by the fertility of its soil, took claims in 
what was called the Goodenow settlement, the writer — then a boy of 
twenty-one — being one of the number, had homesteaded the laud now 
known as the Jas. Barr farm, near Burwell. On the east side of the river 
the settlement extended up as far as the old town of Willow Springs, or as 
it was known then, "the mouth of Jones' Canyon." The settlers were all 
more or less afraid of the wandering bands of Indians, that from time to 
time passed near the valley on their way to the Pawnee reservation, but 
as month after month passed in safety it seemed as if the Sioux had decid- 
ed not to favor us with any further visits. This feeling of security was sud- 
denly dispelled. 

"On the evening of Jan. 18, 1874, a cold, stormy Sunday afternoon, 
with the wind driving the snow in blinding sheets over the wild, unbrok- 
en prairie, in a lull in the storm, some hunters of which the writer was 
one, beheld a large party of Indians surrounding the residence of Richard 
McClimans, near Willow Springs. Mr. McClimans' family at that time, 
consisted of himself, his parents and his brother Newton, and that home 
was one of great hospitality, Mrs. McClimans being noted for her kindness 
of heart, extending to all a sincere welcome which was never lost on a 
weary traveller. But on this occasion the good lady's hospitality was 
sadly abused. The Indians dismounted, crowded into the house and pro- 
ceeded to hold high carnival. They devoured everything eatable in the 
house and were even then far from satisfied. They prowled around the 
place like so many wolves, eating everything they could find, finally kill- 
ing all the chickens within reach. And at that time chickens were very 
valuable on the frontier. At last, about three o'clock in the afternoon, 
without any friendly thanks for what they had received, they left the 
McClimans ranch, and to the relief of the family started up the river. 

"About half a mile above McClimans' was the home of the trappers, and 
who of the old settlers do not remember the trappers, as they were 
called. Their house was a red cedar one, strongly built. At this partic- 
ular time, Cy. Haney, Bill Wirt-z, the Sawyer boys, the Baker boys, 
Charley White (Buckskin Charley) and Marion Littlefield were out on a 
hunting and trapping trip, leaving Steve Chase alone at home; and just at 
the time of the Indian visit he was getting some wood in the canyon, a quar- 
ter of a mile from the house. The writer, from the opposite side of the 
river, saw the redskins break open the house and take possession. Know- 
ing the boys were away from home, I ran to Bob Hill's house and told him 
to come with me to see what they were after. We crossed the river on the 
ice and were nearly through the willows on the east side, when we saw them 
leaving the shanty, taking with them everything 1 of any value, skins worth 
perhaps a hundred dollars and all the clothing and provisions. It was a 
rich find for the rascals and they lost no time in making off with the booty. 
When we were within four hundred yards of the house the last Indian 
came out. his arms full of blankets and coats. Just as he was trying to 
mpunt his pony J fired at hjm. The ball must haye whizzed too cjose for 



INDIANS AND GRASSHOPPERS 



125 



comfort, for he dropped his load, jumped on his pony and soon overtook 
his party. When we reached the house we found it completely looted: not 
a thing they could carry off remained. About this tince Steve Chase came 
with his wood. He was. a picture of righteous indignation when he found 
what had occurred during his short absence. Late that night the rest of 
the boys returned home. They reported having seen Indians on Pebble 
Creek, three miles up the valley, where they had gone into camp. The 
Indians took a cow from Harry Colby's farm on their way and were having 
a royal feast. 

: 'A meeting was held that night at the trapper's shanty, and it was de- 
cided that I should notify settlers on the 
south side of the river as far down as the 
Post settlement, which I accordingly 
did, makinsr the trip from M. B. Goodc- 
now's to David Post's and return in 
about three hours. Unfortunately 

"Happy Jack" was not at home, being 
in camp about thirty miles up the river, 
where his traps were set. No one slept 
in the frontier settlement that night for 
it was known that in the morning the 
Indians would be asked to return all the 
stolen goods and pay for the property 
taken and destroyed, and if they re- 
1used, then, large as the party was— 
about forty in number— it would mean a 
fight, even though we could muster 

George McAnulty of Scotia, as He Appeared only sixteen men. 

when he came to the Loup in 1873 "The next morning, Jan. 19,1874, 

was the coldest morning of that year, but in spite of this bright and early 
we were on the way to Pebble Creek, under the command of Charley White 
or as we knew him best, "Buckskin Charley." Just at dawn we were 
within three hundred yards of the big "tepee." Cautioning the men to 
keep silent, White entered the camp and demanded the return of the prop- 
erty. Here White no doubt made a mistake. He found the redskins 
breakfasting on the remnants of their last night's feast, and in no humor for 
compromise. Charley, who knew a little Sioux jargon, talked with the 
chief, who emerged from the teoee, took a cartridge from his belt, 
held it above his head, summoned his followers, and standing in 
their midst in the gray light of the morning uttered the Sioux 
war chief's battle cry, always terrible in its character. Many a time 
since «I have heard that same peculiar chant, but never when it sounded 
more awe-inspiring. We now saw that it was impossible to avert trouble. 
White rejoined his little command and ordered them to seek shelter under 
the bank of the Loup river. The Indians opened fire as we reached the bank. 
It was promplty returned, and for ten minutes the roar of musketry was 




126 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



like thet in other days experienced at Rosebud Creek, the lonely bluffs of 
the Loup echoing the sharp crack of the rifles of white men and red en- 
gaged in mortal combat. It was soon discovered that owing to the extreme 
cold the shells were sticking in our guns, retard ins: our fire; and right 
here I must mention what I believe was the coolest act I ever saw a man 
do in time of extreme danger. Steve Chase, a little in advance of the rest 




A Second View of Jones' Canyon. 

of us, finding the cartridge stuck in his gun, sat down and cooly opening 
his pocket knife, proceeded to pick the shell out while the bullets flew so 
thickly around him that to this day it is a mystery to what strange provi- 
dence he owed his escape. 

"The Indians now divided, half of them crawling along to our rear, 
protected by a little ridge running parallel with the river. They saw we 
had the advantage of a perfect protection from their bullets. While we 



Indians and grasshoppers 



127 



were under the bank we could return their fire without exposing ourselves. 
It was to get better -range at us, that they divided. The first we knew of 
their intentions we were greeted by a volley from the southeast. At this 
juncture Marion Littlefield arose to fire. He exposed his head to the 
enemy and just as he pressed the trigger of his needle gun there was an 
answering report and he fell dead on the bank of the river. The shot that 
killed him was almost the'last of the fight. The Indians withdrew. What 
loss they had sustained we never knew, but that they lost several men was 
nearly certain. With heavy hearts we raised uurdead comrade and carried 
him further down the river to a place of safety. Here we kindled a fire to 
warm our guns, expecting every moment to be anain attacked by the now 

invisible savages. Mr. McClimans' 
wagon now arrived, arrangements hav- 
ing been made that we should have 
some supplies sent out to us in the field. 
The body of Littlefield was carried back 
to the settlement in this wagon, accom- 
panied by White and Haney. The rest of 
us went back to the battleground, but 
no Indians were to be seen. We dis- 
patched two of Lheir ponies left ou the 
field terribly wounded. About nine 
o'clock we returned to McClimans' 
ranch. In a little while reinforcements 
came, hut it whs decided not to follow 
the Indians, as by this time they had a 
fair start. 

"Thus ended the Pebble Creek fight. 

Tom Hemmett as He Looked back in the The flext day a sa( j paH . y passec j down 

Seventies ' the valley, the friends of Marion Little- 

field taking his boly to his home near Sutton, Neb. He was a prom- 
ising young man, only 21 years of age, and a favorite with all his friends. 
His death was a fearful blow to his parents and relatives and the sad affair 
cast a gloom over the whole settlement for a long time." 

The summer of '74 was blessed with an abundance of rain and warm 
weather. Corn grew rank and was surprisingly forward for the season of 
the year. The small grain too gave promise of exceptional yield. Farmers 
in the Valley were beginning to make preparations for harvesting and 
housing the crop which should at once place tnem in easy circumstances, 
when a calamity as complete as it was unexpected with one fell stroke de- 
stroyed all their calculations and for a time left them stunned and almost 
broken in spirit. It came in the shape of one of the plagues of ancient 
Egypt, and it is doubtful whether the Nile-dwellers could have felt greater 
dismay at the sudden down pouring of this curse than did the Loup-dwellers 
when — the "grasshoppers" came. 

Nothing perhaps in the natural history of our state has excited more 




128 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

general interest than'the migrating locust. The particular species former- 
ly such a pest in our part of the country is the Rocky Mountain locust 
(Melanoplus spretus), and is native to the dry plateau-lands of the Rocky 
Mountains, lying between latitude 43 degrees and 53 degrees north. Its 
permanent habitat, according to the United States Entomological Com- 
mission of 1877, covered an area of about 300,000 square miles. "The most 
favorite breeding places in this area were the river bottoms and the up- 
lands or the grassy regions among the mountans." Whenever J;he weather 
conditions were favorable they hatched here in astonishingly large numbers. 
And the favoring conditions were exceptional dryness and warmth. In 
the early days two such dry seasons were sure to bring on a locust migra- 
tion. During the last twenty years, however, the character of these early 
breeding grounds has been greatly changed. "Settlment and agriculture 
have so restricted the permanent haunts in Montana, Idaho and Colorado 
that the danger from future incursions is very slight. Indeed the locust 
has practically been driven beyond the borders of the United States, and 
now breeds freely only in portions of British Columbia." 

After the insects hatch cut in the spring it takes about seven weeks 
before they reach a mature state. They go through five moultings and 
after the last, acquire wings. Their appetite becomes voracious, and as 
they are most numerous in hot and dry seasons when vegetation is scant, 
it takes but a short time for this to become exhausted. It is now that they 
manifest their peculiar instincts. With a common impulse they ta^e to 
wing, swarming in a southeasterly direction. They usually rise between 8 
and 10 o'clock in the morning and continue their flight till the middle of 
the afternoon, when they come down to feed. A fall in temperature or a 
head wind suddenly precipitates them to the ground in great numbers. 
They move not so much in sheets as in great columns from one to five 
thousand feet thick, resembling great fleecy clouds propelled onward by 
some strong but hidden agency. Moving, as we have stated, in a south- 
easterly direction, those that leave their breeding grounds in southern 
Montana and Colorado, in spring will reach Nebraska in July, while those 
from northern Montana and Canada do not appear till August or September. 

An exceptionally destructive year was 1856, chen the insects swarmed 
over Nebraska, Kansas, some parts of Missouri and Texas, into Iowa and 
Minnesota, and through Colorado and Utah. In 1870 and 1871 they again 
threatened the states west of the Mississippi, and in 1873 committed very 
serious depredations. "The most seiious locust year known in the United 
States, however, was 1874 when enormous swarms invaded the settled 
portions of the Mississippi Valley west of the ninety-fourth meridian. 
Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Dakota, Minnesota, New Mexico, 
Indian Territory, and Texas were overrun by swarms from the northwest, 
mainly from Montana and British Columbia. 

"The loss in this region was estimated at $50,000,000 in the actual 
destruction of crops. In 1875 the young insects hatched in immense num- 
bers over an area embracing portions of Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, 



INDIANS AND GRASSHOPPERS 129 

entailing destitution and suffering among a population of 750,000 people. 
In 1877 the young insects died in great numbers and those which acquired 
wings flew toward the northwest in the direction of Dakota and Montana, 
the region of permanent breeding grounds." 

The month of July was about half spent when the locusts reached the 
North Loup Valley. Corn was "laid by" and in tassle; the small grain was 
heading and full of promise. Then dawned the fatal day. By noon a 
strange haziness overspread the clear, blue sky, and the bright sunlight took 
on a sickly, yellowish tint. Had anyone taken the trouble to look at 
the sun through some proper medium he would have discovered the cause 
of this gradual transformation in the day. Myriads of insects were flitting 
by the disk of the sun. But people were not looking for trouble and so 
allowed the phenomenon to go unnoticed. In a short time, however, 
everyone had cause to become wide enough awake. The clouds of 
locusts suddenly began to settle over the earth. With a strange whistl- 
ing sound of wings and myriad bodies they came on, pelting the appalled 
earth; hustling and tumbling they came, clinging to whatever they hap- 
pened to strike, devouring every planted thing from Indian corn to garden 
truck. 

At first some of the settlers made vain attemps to scare the pests from 
their fields, but this was usually rewarded by having the clothes literally 
eaten from off their limbs. As time advanced the number of insects grew. 
In places branches of trees are said to have been bent almost to the ground 
under their living burden. The corn fields were speedily stripped of their 
leaves, and soon all but the toughest portions of the stalk were devoured. 
We hear of thrifty housewives attempting to save favorite flowerbeds by 
spreading over them bedquilts and carpets for protection, who to their 
chagrin found the locusts as eager to devour the spreads as they were the 
flowers. 

Ah, those were sad days in the settlement! Gone were now the hopes 
and day dreams of many a sturdy pathfinder! The last dollar had with 
many been spent in the hope of speedy returns from good crops. What 
now would be the future? Bow to span over the coming winter and eke 
out an existence till another crop could be gotten became serious questions. 
Had it not been for the abundance of game in the adjacent hills and the 
logging iudustries, and more particularly still, the building of Fort Hart- 
suff, which gave work at good wages to scores of men up and down the 
valley, many would perforce have left their farms and returned, to the 
older settlements. 



Fort Hartsuff, It's Rise and Fall. 



CHAPTER X. 

We loved the wild clamor of battle, 
The crash of the musketry's rattle. 

The bugle and drum. 
We have drooped in the dust, long and lonely; 
The blades that flashed joy are rust only, 

The far-rolling war music dumb. — S. Weir Mitchell. 

THE PEBBLE CREEK fight led the settlers to petition the National 
Government to establish an army post on the upper North Loup River. 
A mass meeting was called to meet at Willow Springs and a committee con- 
sisting of Melville B. Goodenow, John Case, E. D. McKenney, W. A. 
Harper, and G. W. McAnulty were selected to bring the matter to the 
notice of Congress. The first ste'p was to draw up a petition and place the 
same in the hands of Hon. Frank Welsh, who represented the congressional 
district of which the Loup country at that time formed apart. Congressman 
Welsh seems to have recognized the urgency of the case, as he lost no time 
about getting the bill through the Lower House of Congress. United States 
Senator Hitchcock piloted the same bill through the Senate. It called for 
the appropriation of $50,000 to be expended for the purpose of establishing 
a permanent military post' near the head of settlement on the North 
Loup River. This appropriation was later increased to 175,000, but even 
this was increased. A fire in the partially completed structures swelled 
the eventual outlay to fully $110,000. 

The actual work of construction did not begin till September 1, 1874. 
Meanwhile Company C, 9th U. S. Infantry, Captain Samuel Munson com- 
manding, came into the upper valley and forthwith allayed all fear of 
further Indian trouble. Later in the summer the old Civil War veteran 
Gen. E. O. C. Ord — after whom the city is named — arrived and with him 
came a corps of engineers who should help locate the fort. The site chosen 
had some strategic importance, and was not far from the excellent gravel 
beds on Gravel Creek and but a short distance from the Clifton and Jones 
Canyons, which furnished the bulk of the timber needed in the construc- 
tion of the several buildings. 

The building of the fort in the fall of '74 was a most fortunate event in 
the history of the Valley. The swarms of locusts had earlier in the season 
destroyed every vestige of crops, and starvation actually stared the settlers 
in the face. 



FORT HARTSUFF; ITS RISE AND FALL 



131 



But just in the nick of time came the fort and with it an abundance of 
work at good wages for every man who cared to take it. 

The buildings were to be constructed from concrete of gravel and 
cement. This called for a great deal of hauling. There were the sand and 




gravel to be moved from the pits four miles south of the fort, and the 
timber to be cut and drawn from the canyons eight miles north. The lime 
was to be carted from the kilns on "Dr. Beebe's" ranch forty miles down 



132 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



the river, and every sack of cement and all the finishing lumber came from 
Grand Island, eighty miles by road. 

Every team for miles up and down the river was requisitioned and every 




man and boy who could wield a shovel was given something to do. Indeed, 
settlers came all the way from the Platte River country and from the 
Middle Loup to seek work. A saw mill was erected near the site of the 
fort. Here all the rough timber for use in roofs and floors was prepared. 
In one way only did the erection of the fort work ruin to the valley. 



FORT HARTSUFF, ITS RISE AND FALL i33 

Through the wholesale destructiun wrought in the cedar canyons. "The 
Jones Canyon," says Truman Freeland, "which is now a dreary waste of 
broken cliffs and naked ravines with scarcely a bush ten feet high, was 
then heavily timbered; the tall graceful pines stood by the thousands on 
the hillsides, while the cedars grew so close together in the canyons that 
a team and wagon could with difficulty make a way through them. Tall 
cottonwoods, three and four feet in diameter, were found here and there 
along the canyon. Boxelder, hackberry, ash and elm were also in abund- 
ance, and in places on section eight there towered fine groves of poplars. 

"This evergreen forest" he continues, "was the haunt of thousands of 
bright plumaged birds, and the shelter from the bitter winds of the sur- 
rounding prairie for hundreds of deer and other game-animals, and bore 
not the mark of a single stroke from the woodman's axe in 1871." But 
now, — what a desolation ! 

Fort Hartsuff was a fort in name only: it comprised a number of 
officers' quarters, barracks for the privates, commisary buildings, 
stables, and other structures arranged in a hollow square. The only 
defensible part of the fort was the waterworks, which lay on the hills back 
of the officers' quarters. This was protected by a circular stockade, 
accessible from the fort by an underground passage. This stockade which 
might well have remained a lasting memorial of the pioneer days was some 
years back ruthlessly destroyed and sold as old lumber. The completion 
of the first buildings in December, '74 was celebrated with a grand ball to 
which the entire country side was invited. Everybody was proud of Fort 
Hartsuff. Indeed it was from the first considered by officers and men alike, 
the prettiest and in every way the most desirable station in the Department 
of the Platte. 

Captain S. Munson was the first commander of the new fort. His 
Company was relieved April 14, 1875 by Company A 23rd Infantry, under 
the command of Capt. John J. Coppinger, a son-in-law of the statesmen 
James G. Blaine. A further change was made in December, 1876, when 
Company K., 14th Infantry, under Captain Carpenter, came to garrison the 
post. Finally, in November, 1878, Captain Munson again assumed com- 
mand, which he retained until the fort was abandoned in May, 1881. 

At the close of the Sioux War of '76 the broken remnants of the 
warring tribes were settled upon their reservations in the two Dakotas, and 
since that time they have never been much of a menace to Nebraska 
settlers. The Pawnees had already been removed to their new home in 
Oklahoma. It thus came about that Fort Hartsuff early outlived its useful- 
ness as a defense against the old-troublers of the valley, and it was accord- 
ingly discontinued as an army post. 

It^ later history is quite prosaic. The buildings, erected at such great 
cost to the government, were sold in July, 1881, to the Union Pacific Rail- 
way Company for the paltry sum of $5000. 

The reservation, comprising two sections, was sold later, at public auc- 
tion, apd purchased by Peter Mortensen. Ed Mitchell, and Mrs. J. L. 



134 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



McDonough of Ord. It is now used as a stock ranch by Collison Brothers 
and Lindquist. 

Life at Fort Hartsuff was such as one usually finds at the American 
frontier post. There was the usual routine of drill and guard- mount, of 
scouting trip and hunt; the same old round of balls and gaming and idle- 
ness — a life which unfortunately too often has lead to vicious living in one 
form or another. Our fort was no exception to this rule, and a certain 




Return of the lost Alderman children: George and Emma Alderman, seven and five years old, 
wandered from home and were lost for three days. They were found by Sergeant Myers and 
Corporal Schreck under shelter of a washout, their only protection a faithful Newfoundland dog, 
(Retouched from an old picture in the possession of Judge Herman Westover of Ord.) 

looseness is yet to be marked in a few families of the old campfollowers, 
which remained in the vicinity where the post was abandoned. This should 
not, however, be taken as a reflection on the many good citizens of Valley, 
Garfield and neighboring counties, who were directly or indirectly identified 
with the fort. It is of interest to note that Joe Capron, the prosperous Ord 
real estate dealer, was quartermaster's clerk at the fort from 1878 to '81, 



FORT HARTSUFF, ITS RISE AND FALL 135 

while George Clement of Mira Valley was one of the government contrac- 
tors who built the fort. Hon. Judge Norris, who now holds high office in 
the Philippine service was 2nd Lieutenant in Company K. Ed. Satterlee, 
for many years proprietor of the Satterlee House, and Arthur Schaefer 
whose business career in Valley county ended so sadly some years back, 
were both members of Company K. John Luke of Ord held the position 
as musician in Company .A., and George McAnulty of Scotia was a member 
of Company C. 



Village Organization. 



CHAPTER XI. 

- and over the 

roofs of the village 
Colums of pale blue smoke, like clouds of 

incense ascending, 
Rose from a hundred hearths, the home of 

peace and contentment. — Longfellow's Evangeline. 

THE Seventh-Day Baptists settled the rich bottom lands of the North 
Loup and Mira Creek valleys, and were well content to live pastoral 
lives in their new Arcadian realm. This seemed in fullest harmony with 
their simple religious system. The village organization had therefore no 
part in their system, but materialized rather in spite of it, as a part of our 
gregarious Teutonic system. The first step in that direction came with 
the creation of a post office, called North Loup, with Elder Oscar Babcock 
as postmaster. 

Prior to this time the nearest postoffice was at Cotesfield in Howard 
County. The Star route was extended to Valley county ia the fall of 1873, 
in charge of A. G. Gillespie as carrier and contractor. The latter at one 
time controlled the mail routes on both sides of the river between St. Paul 
and The Forks. His "Pony Express" and stage coach were for many 
years the chief means of communication between the settlements and the 
outer world. Thus we hear that Truman Freeland used to carry it from 
Cotesfield to Calamus and Willow Springs on the north side of the river, 
and that Mrs. S, S. Haskell at one time managed the route between Ord 
and The Forks (Burwell). Mr. Gillespie is still living, a hale and hearty 
patriarch, at his home in Scotia; he has just filled his one hundredth year, 
which marks him the oldest resident in the Loup country, if not indeed the 
oldest man in our state. 

Shortly after the postoffice was established the North Loupers decided 
to build a school house. These people were indeed people of education and 
k^ew how to appreciate good schools, and they proposed to make the right 
kind of a start. Accordingly a dug-out, fourteen feet square, was con- 
structed — a humble enoogh beginning, but inestimably better than nothing 
at all — and Miss Kate Badger, now Mrs. J. W. Holliday, was installed as 
teacher. This was in the summer of 1874. Here then we have the first 
school in Valley county. A few months later the county was districted for 
school purposes. All the south half was designated as District No. 1, with 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 



137 



North Loup as the centering point: the north half became District No. 2. 
with its only school held for a time in the Mortensen dugout, north of Ord, 



o 




in charge of Mrs. Emma Haskell, wife of Orson §. Haskell, one of the 
founders of Ord, 



138 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



At North Loup the dugout school-house was early discarded for a neat 
little cedar log cabin, erected on Elder Babcock's land, at the edge of the 
of the present townsite. In the fall of 1873, W. J. Holliday opened a 
general store on his homestead, not far from the postoffi.ee and school 
house. Here naturally enough the center of interest came to be, and other 
buildings were soon springing up and making the beginnings of quite a 
village. Just then the grasshoppers came, and with the loss of crops every- 
thing came to a stand still. The village, though, managed somehow to 
survive, and was regularly surveyed and platted in 1877, in anticipation of 
the heavy influx of settlers which commenced the very next year. The 
original plat of North Loup, as may be seen from the cut herewith given, 
comprised six blocks only. The streets, denominated as 1st and 2d, and 




irpra um ran qtq m 
imm Lffij gia m m 



ff R S. 

m Q£P era aifl 




:<4ft agfa KTta mmn rim qiu !-p ma 
m ma tna m ffi\MjmJmt^$m 




FIFTH S T. 



A Plat of North Loup Showing the Original Townsite and a Number of Later Additions. 

A, B, and C, were all 80 feet wide. Lots were 4 to the half block; alleys 
were 25 feet wide. The miscellaneous records show that the townsite was 
surveyed and platted by C. H. Webster, that A. J. Davis and Eddie Bab- 
cock were chainmen, and J. A. Green, axman. The plat was subscribed 
and sworn to before County Commissioner Oscar Babcock, March 6, 1877, 
and received for record the 7th day of March, 1877. 

The year "78 marked the beginning of a steady growth in the valley. 
In '81 the railroad question came to the fore. The Republican Valley Road 
was contemplating a northward extension. North Loup township helped 
matters along by voting bonds to the amount of $4,000.00.- The grade was 
at once begun, and by the spring of 1882, had been completed from St. 
Paul to North Loup. As soon as the railroad became an assured fact, there 
Was a rush of settlers to the village, and soon numerous, substantial build- 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 139 

ings were under erection. In a year the population increased from a hun- 
dred to more than double that number. This has stowly been added to in 
the course of later years till now, in 1905, the village counts 510 all told. 
North Loup can never expect to become much of a city, but is just a thrifty 
little residence town, an ideal place if one wishes to retire to a moral Chris- 
tian atmosphere, where churches are wide open and saloons and drinking 
places are kept closed. 

The history of Ord, the county seat and principal town in Valley 
county, really begins with the organic election in 1873, when it was made 
the official town of the county. But for more than two years the town was 
without name, nor was a single house built upon its site during that time. 
The county officials were satisfied to keep their books and records at their 
respective residences— in dugouts and in log cabins— and for all practical 
purposes they got along very well indeed. 

In May, 1874, the first steps were taken towards building the town. 
Then O. S. Haskell of Valley county, O. C. Haskell of Chicago, and A. M. 
Robbinsof Dixon, Illinois, who had purchased the land from the Burlington 
and Missouri River Railroad Company, made a first plat of the proposed 
town. For some time it was known among the settlers as "Chin City," a 
name which it took from A. T. Stacy, or "Chin" Stacy, so named for a cer- 
tain facial peculiarity, and who lived in the only house anywhere near the 
townsite, in what is now the Woodbury Addition to Ord. But chis is how 
it took its real name: During the summer of 1874. as we will remember, 
General E. O. C. Ord, who was then in command of the Department of the 
Platte, came into the valley to locate Fort Hartsuff ; and in honor of this 
old, war-scarred veteran it was decided to name the town Ord. 

In the summer of 1875 the town was carefully platted, and the first ef- 
forts were made to induce the people to build on the site. To this end the 
townsite company proposed to give the county every fourth block in the 
plat— eighteen blocks all told— on condition that the county build a court 
house of equal value with the eighteen blocks, on the townsite prior to July 4, 
1880. The proposition was promptly accepted by the board of commis- 
sioners on behalf of the county. The townsite company now immediately 
executed a $2,000.00 bond for faithful performance. This instrument was 
approved by John Case, chairman of the board of commissioners Nov. 16, 
and properiy recorded Nov. 25th of the same year. The eighteen blocks 
were appraised at about $50.00 each, and on this basis the plans and specifi- 
cations of a court house to cost between $800.00 and $900.00 were drawn 
up and bids asked for. The contract was let to our friend the bridge 
builder, John L. Means of Grand Island, November 17, 1875, consideration 
to be even $800.00. 

SPECIFICATIONS OF COURT HOUSE. 

Building to be 16x24 feet; 9 feet high. 

Sills 6x8 inches. 

Studding 2x4, set 16 inches from center to center. 







•= CQ 






O 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 



141 



Lower joist 2x8, set 18 inches from center to center. 

Ceiling 2x4, set 16 inches from center to center. 

Collar beams 1x6 on every set of rafters as shown in plates, double, 
2x4. 

Rafters 2x4, 24 inches from center to center. 

This unpretentious little structure was reared near the south side of 
the present Court House Square, whir.h was then a treeless plat of virgin 
prairie. After being used for court purposes for some twelve years it was 
removed to give place for the present, modern building. It was carted to 
the east side of the square, where it may yet be seen — a forlorn bit of the 
past. 

The court house was completed in February, 1876, and a couple of 
months later Herbert Thurston commenced the erection of the first resi- 
dence on the townsite. Nothing further developed till the fall of the year; 
then the grand old patriarch, S. S. Haskell, set up the first hostelry, gen- 
eral store, and postoffice. in what in those days was considered a very pre- 
tentious frame building, situated in the east part of the present town on 
the road from the river bridge. This structure has been variously known 
as the Ord City Hotel, the Dies House, and is now in a somewhat remodel- 
ed form, the Transit House, near the north side of the square. 

No further improvement was made in the townsite till the fall of 1877, 
when W. H. Mitchell moved his paper, the Valley County Herald, from 
Calamus, and began its publication in a small log building, moved from the 
above-named place, which had until this time, on account of its location 
near Port Hartsuff, been the principal town of the county. 

During the year 1878, there was quite a large immigration to the county, 
and Ord began to grow quite rapidly. 
In the spring, E. S. Harter moved 
his stock of goods over from Spring- 
dale Postoffice, and built a store 
twenty-two by forty feet in size, two 
stories high, and put m a large stock 
of general merchandise, hardware and 
drugs. Herman Westover, an attor- 
ney, moved here from Calamus and 
erected a dwelling. W. A. Hobson and 
L. E. Post each erected blacksmith 
shops and dwellings. W. H. Mitchell 
sold the Valley County Herald to J. C. 
Lee, then built a dwelling and began 
the practice of law. In September, 
H. W. Nelson moved his paper, the 
Valley County Courier from Vinton. 
There were now two newspapers until 
the Herald failed in November. 

The year was further noted for the Sylves ter s. Haskell, the Father of Ord. 





0. S. Haskell 



The Ord Townsite Company. 
O. C. Haskell 
A. M. Robbins 



W. W. Haskell 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 



143 



removal from Calamus to Ord of Z. K. Ferguson with a good stock of gen- 
eral merchandise. Early in 1879, Joe Capron purchased Henry Nelson's 
paper, the Courier, and established the Valley County Journal. Soon 
afterwards Case & Mortensen opened the first exclusive hardware store in 
Ord, and indeed in the county. J. A. Collins and John A Bales established 
a harness shop, Copo & Westover opened a nice new law office and 
Henry Nelson built the first livery stable. S. L. R. Maine and H. M. 




An Early Plat of Ord Showing the Original Tow.isite, and S. S 
Haskell's and Finn Milford's Addition. 

Deegan moved down from Calamus and re-established themselves at Ord. 
S. S. Haskell, H. A. Babcock. M. E. Getter, J. H. Collins and others added 
to the growing little town by erecting dwelling-houses. 

When Fort Hartsuff was built it immediately became the center of in- 
terest in the county. Men with an eye to business tlocked thither; and, as 
might have been expected, a thriving little town was soon springing up on 
the very edge of the fort reservation. This was Calamus. For a year or 
more it was the liveliest town in the county. Under the patronage of Lieu- 
tenant Thomas Capron of the fort, the townsite was platted and quite a 
start wa^ made. Sixteen blocks and half blocks were laid off, pretentious 
streets, 100 feet wide, were planned, and every preparation was made for 
the expected boom. Stores of the several kinds were opened, and many 
residences sprang up. The town had the undivided support of the fort gar- 
rison and of many outlying settlers. But Ord was altogether too near, and 



144 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



then came the rumors of the fort's speedy abandonment. The bubble 
burst and in three years' time the town was to all practical purposes — 
dead. 



f-R o NT 



ST. * 



CD 



0.1 



JSc 




/ 


S.7 






■* 






A 


c, 


5»- 
1 


cv. 



ST. 






2N.D 



ST. 



* 



■* 


?!* 


^ 


&l 


= '5 = 


Ocs 



& 



3RD 



ST. 



TFi R¥V1 Efte 



Townsite of Calamus. 

As we have seen above, what was Calamus's loss became Ord's gain. 
For from Calamus came newspaper men, lawyers, physicians and business 
men. In many instances these not alone moved their business to Ord, but 
the very houses thither. Thus died ambitious Calamus. 

The following record and affidavit is taken from the Valley County 
Miscellaneous Record, No. 1, and is reproduced, spelling and all, just as it 
appears there: 
State of Nebr., 
Valley County 

To the Co. Clerk of said County : 

The Undersigned Surveyor being employed by Lieut. Thos. Capron, to Survey Mark 
and Plat the Town Site of the Town of Calamus in said Valley County according to law and 
for that purpose he did Employ George Ferguson and C. R. Hutchins, Sworn chanemen on 
Such survey and did on the 16th 17th Days of Sept proceed to Make such Survey of which 
the foregoing is a correct and True Plat of the same being made on the North West 3^ of the 
S. W. % of Sec. (11) Eleven in TowDship (20;, R. (15) W and extending South 36 ft. on 
the S. W. }£ of the S. W. }£ of said section (11 j Tp 20 N. of Range (lfi) 

Dated and signed this Sep 24th, 1874. Levi G. Pekce, Surveyor. 

Affidavit (to above) 

I G. Ferguson and C. R Hutchins do solemly sware that we will support the constitu- 
tion of the United States and the constitution of the State of Nebraska and faithfully and im- 
partialy discharge the duties of Chainmen according to law and the best of our ability. 
G. Ferguson 
Chas. R. Hutchins. W. D. Long, 

Filed Oct. 5th, 1874. Co. Clerk. 

In those early days towns were projected rather promiscuously on the 
virgin prairie by ambitious organizers. Natural demand had little to do 
with such enterprises; the idea was to make a demand. Thus the town of 
Vinton came into existence. In 1876 the town was planned but very little 
was accomplished for a couple of years. Early in 1878, Henry W. Nelson 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 



145 



established a newspaper there, which he called the Valley County Courier. 
For some months this courageous boomer did ail in his power to attract 
settlers and investors to the new town, but so seemingly hopeless was the 
outlook that, despairing of success, Mr. Nelson moved with his paper to 
Ord. On Nov. 18, 1878, the Burlington and Missouri River Railway 
Company made an out-and-out donation of the townsite. but even now no 
marked progress was made. 

The Vinton Townsite Association was incorporated May 11, 1882, and 
the following well known men were elected directors: H. C. Perry, Thomas 
G. Bartlett and A. W. Travis. The plat on file locates the town in the 

S. W. i of the S. W. i of Sec. 7, in 
Township 18, Range 14 West. Sixteen 
blocks were platted ; of these, block 
six was designated as the "Public 
Square." But the town had no fu- 
ture ; there was no demand for another 
town within seven miles of Ord, and 
Vinton too — died. 

Of the four towns here mentioned 
Calamus had a meteoric existence and 
then died; Vinton was still-born and 
came to nothing; North Loup has be- 
come a prosperous and promising lit- 
tle city; and Ord has developed 
into a strong, progressive business 
Vinton Townsite. center. It is almost pathetic now in 

the new Ord of 1905, with her many business houses and fine residences 
everywhere springing up, to read of the slow progress of those early days. 
Years of grasshoppers and droughts, of hailstorms and windstorms, all did 
their share in keeping her in the embryonic state. But when she finally 
burst into bloom it was done with a substantiality engendered in the years 
of rest. The above statement should however be qualified somewhat. The 
first half of the decade 1880-90 was indeed remarkable for steady growth 
and substantial progress. The general standstill in affairs came later as 
a result of poor crops and hot, blasting winds which for a time threatened 
ruin to all the Valley 

The following paragraphs on "Later Improvements" and "Local Mat- 
ters" in Ord of 1882 are quoted verbatim from Andreas's History of Ne- 
braska, and should now after almost a quarter century prove interesting 
reading, and at the same time impress the reader with the many great 
changes that have come to the County Seat since that time: 

'•In 1880, the little village began to make rapid progress indeed. So 
great was the improvement that it is impossible to mention it in detail. 
About thirty- five buildings were put up. Over one haff of these were busi- 
ness houses. The toUl value of buildings erected that year is estimated at 
$21,225 The population had by the end of the year increased to 250. 




146 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

"During the years 1881 and 1882, Ord continued to progress steadily, 
and its population will number about 500. All branches of business are 
well represented, and the trade of the town is in a prosperous condition. 
On November 8, 1881, bonds amounting to $5,000, were voted to the Union 
Pacific Railroad for the purpose of securing the early building of the rail- 
road up the North Loup Valley. 

•'In 1881, the entire town was threatened with destruction by fire, 
Though the village was saved, the livery stable of H. W. Nelson was burned 
to the ground. 

"In the spring of 1882, a fire broke' out on the south side of the public 
square. It was caused by a defective flue. Before it could be stopped, 
several buildings, including the office of Judge Herman Westover, were 
completely destroyed. 

"Ord was incorporated as a village on June 23, 1881. The following is 
the first Board of Trustees appointed on the above date by the County 
Commissioners: H. G. Rodgers, S. S. Haskell, B. C. White, R. P. Milford 
and H. W. Nelson. 

"Manufactures. — The Ord Plouring and Grist Mill was commenced in 
the year 1880 and completed early in 1881, by R. P. Milford. It was built 
at a cost of $5,000, and for the quality of flour manufactured, it is second to 
none in the state. 

"In 1880 John Drake & Co., started a brick yard and the first year 
about 100,000 bricks were manufactured, since which time the yard has 
been kept up and a very superior quality of brick is made. 

"Banks. — The Valley County Bank was established in October, 1880. 
A general bank and collection business is done. The affairs of the bank 
are in a prosperous condition. J. D. Bacon is President, and Frederick L. 
Harris, Cashier. 

"The Ord City Bank was established and commenced business on 
March 15, 1882. A general loan and collection business is done, and the 
bank starts in with very favorable prospects. H. C. Metcalf is President, 
and George A. Percival, Cashier. 

"Hotels — Besides the restaurants and boarding houses the hotels are 
two in number. The Ord City House is the old hotel built by S. S. Haskell, 
and is now owned and operated by James Dies, who keeps a good hotel. 

"The Satterlee House, E. D. Satlerlee, Proprietor, is centrally located, 
is well kept, and is doing a good business. 

"Churches. — The different church societies are represented by the 
Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Baptist de- 
nominations. The first two named have capacious and comfortable houses 
of worship, which were completed in the spring of 1882. All these societies 
are liberally supported by the moral and intelligent citizens of Ord. 

"Schools. — The Ord school is provided with able instructors, and is 
well sustained by the intelligent and education-loving citizens. One of the 
first things looked to in the foundation of the town was a good school, and 
no money or labor has been spared to make it such a one. 



VILLAGE ORGANIZATION 147 

"Societies. — Ord Lodge, No. 90, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
has an organization of over fifty members. The society owns a hall and 
are in a prosperous condition. The order was organized December. 1880, 
with thirty-six members. W. J. Wilson was the first Noble Grand. 

"Foote Post, No. 40, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized late 
in the year 1880, with W. H. Williams Post Commander 

"Pilot Lodge, No. 57, Independent Order of Good Templars, was or- 
ganized at a quite early date. They have a large and working member- 
ship. 

"Newspapers. — The Valley County Journal is published here by Capron 
& Wolf It is a bright and well edited weekly, Republican in politics, and 
a five-column quarto in size. The Journal was founded in February, 1879, 
by J. H. Capron, who had purchased the Courier and changed the name, 
and published it but a few weeks until his office was burned, when the pa- 
per discontinued for a short time, until a new Office could be fitted up. 
Since that time the Journal has continued to be published. In August, 
1881, Charles E. Wolf purchased a half -interest in the paper. 

"J. H. Capron came to Nebraska in September. 1874. and located at 
Fort Hartsuff, where he was Quartermaster's clerk until December, 1875, 
when he went to Manitowoc, Wis., and took charge of a newspaper pub- 
lished there until February, 1878, when he again entered Government 
employ in Wyoming Territory until December, when he located at Ord, and 
soon afterward started the Journal. He was born in Beloit, Wis., Sep- 
tember 14, 1856. He learned the printer's trade in the office of the Free- 
port, III., Journal, beginning in 1871. and remaining until going to Fort 
Hartsuff, Neb. He was married February 15, 1882, to Miss Mar.y F. 
Ramsey. 

"Charles C. Wolf, the junior editor of the Journal, came to Nebraska 
in June, 1881, and in August he purchased a half interest in the Journal. 
He was born in Freeport, 111., March 3, 1855. He learned his trade in the 
office of the Freeport Journal, beginning in 1872, and working there until 
he removed to Ord. 

"The Ord Weekly Quiz is a bright and sparkling paper, Republican in 
politics, and was founded on April 6, 1882, by Will Haskell, of Chicago. 
The paper starts out with good prospects for future success." 



The Middle Loup and Arcadia. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Creator's richest blessings have been given unto thee, 

Nebraska, dear Nebraska. 
The air with incense laden blows across thy prairies free, 

Nebraska, dear Nebraska. 
Loyal hearts are beating true, dear Nebraska, e'er_for you; 

Thy glory ne'er shall dim nor honor fall. 
Over valley, hill and plain shout again the glad refrain: 

Our Nebraska, dear Nebraska, leads them all. 

Will M. Maupin. 

"\X7"HILE we have been telling the story of the North Loup, the Middle 
* * Loup in Valley county and its history has not for a moment been 
lost sight of. It was indeed purposely held back for the present chapter in 
as much as this part of the work really forms its own unit whole. 

For the beginnings of the Middle Loup settlement it becomes neces- 
sary to go back to the spring of 1873, when the pioneers arrived. First 
came one George McKellar, together with his father and mother. He settled 
a claim which later has been known as the John Wall farm, near Arcadia. 
Mr. McKellar was a man of irascible temperament. When under the in- 
fluence of liquor he was positively dangerous. To him belongs the unenvi- 
able notoriety of having been the first person tried in Valley county on a 
criminal charge. Porter Brown and family arrived from Louisa county, 
Iowa, during the early days of April, 73. He had just reached the protect- 
ing woods on Hawthorne Creek when the terrible storm of April 13 broke. 
As good fortune would have it shelter was found in a trapper's cabin, 
which alone saved him and his devoted family from certain death. Porter 
Brown entered a claim near the present townsite of Arcadia. 

During the summer of 73 the "yellows" were more than usually 
destructive in the fruit sections of Michigan. They came to Berrian 
county and there ruined the peach-orchards of Mingerson Coombs, who in 
despair left the Wolverine State to seek his fortune in the West. Thus it 
came about that "Ming." Coombs arrived on the Middle Loup early in 
September. He immediately took a homestead and a timberclaim, lying 
respectively two and three miles from the present-day Arcadia. About 
this same time a widower by the name of W. H. Fradenburg arrived and 
took a claim two miles east of Arcadia. Alonzo Fradenburg with family 



THE MIDDLE LOUP AND ARCADIA 



149 



was the fifth settler to come into the settlement. Next spring came Samuel 
A. Hawthorne with family, and settled near the present townsite. It fell to 
the lot of Boone Hawthorne to settle where Arcadia now stands. 

To narrate in full the story of these first comers would in reality be 
to retell the narrative of the North Loup settlements. There was the 
building of suitable dwelling-places, and the hauling of red cedar logs to 
older settlements. Corn was planted, and then came the locusts in great 
swarms, destroying every vestige of planted things. When the Indian 
scares fell upon the North Loup Valley, the Middle Loup was affected also. 
A stockade was erected on W. H. Fradenburg's farm, whither the settlers 
might congregate at the first intimation of danger. Fortunately, however, 
the settlers were not troubled by hostile bands. Several times much excite- 
ment was caused by the approach of begging Pawnees, who, as some of 
the settlers will have cause never to forget, were mistaken for the terrible 

Sioux. 

At first the settlement was practically isolated from the outer world. 
At lenght. in 1874, a post office was opened on Samuel A. Hawthorne's 
place, and mail was then brought in from Loup City twice a week. When 
it came to the matter of naming the post office all were united in calling it 
"Brownville" in honor of Porter Brown, who was considered the real 
father of the settlement, George McKellar having been eliminated from 
consideration through his own misdeeds. It soon appeared, however, 
that there was already one Brownville in the State; then the present 
euphoneous name — Arcadia — was adopted. 

" Arcadia has from the earliest time been noted for her interest in educa- 
tion. The colonists had no sooner become settled in their new home than 
they determined to open a school for the education of their children. A 
teacher was found in the person of Mingerson Coombs, and the sod house 
of Boone Hawthorne furnished the necessary school-quarters. Here then 
was the school taught. Seven children, all told, assembled daily from the 
sod-shanties scattered up and down the valley, and here was laid the 
foundations to the learning of many men who are making the history of 

Arcadia today. 

But soon there arose a cry for better accommodations for holding school. 
Why not issue bonds and build a structure worthy of the community? Thus 
argued one Ingersoll from Loup City, and he found a willing tool and co- 
worker in George McKellar, who together with Samuel Hawthorne com- 
prised the school-board. 

It was proposed to vote bonds in the sum of $4000.00 which Ingersoll 
was ready to accept in lieu of cash, provided of course that the contract be 
given him. A hurried election was held and the bonds were declared 
carried. But the proceedings were suon found illegal, as it was quite 
apparant that the notice provided for by law had not been given. A second 
election was ordered, and again, after some "strenuous'^ work on the part 
of McKellar chiedy, the bonds carried by a small majority. 

The sum palled fpr was now $3,000.00, Ingersoll got the bonds and 



150 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 




Hon. F. M. Fries of Arcadia. 



the contract for the school house. The site chosen was about one mile east 
of the present town. Here the work of erection was commenced. The 
framework was actually raised: but that was as far as the work ever pro- 
ceeded. Iueersoll left for parts unknown and 
the new community was left wiser though 
poorer for their experience 

Much bad olood was engendered as a result 
of this fiasco. Staunch Samuel Hawthorne had 
bitterly opposed the bond deal, and as a result 
had trouble with George McKellar, who' was 
arrested on a charge of assault and battery. 
The prisoner was carried overland to Peter 
Mortensen's dugout, three miles north of Ord, 
and there for the first time in the history of 
Valley county was a man tried on a criminal 
charge. Orson S. Haskell presided as judge 
and after a careful hearing and much delibera- 
tion, fined the defendant a good round sum of money, and then let him go 
with an admonition to keep the peace or worse things would befall. 

It may not be altogether out of place here to follow out the checkered 
career of this George McKellar, the first settler of the Middle Loup. He, 
as we have said, was ever quarrelsome, and this was particularly true when 
he was in his cups. It appears that he had fallen out with a man named 
Chapman, who lived across the line in Sherman county, about a pig. In 
February, 1877, the two chanced to meet in 'Loup City, when McKellar was 
very much under the influence of liquor. Chapman went into a grocery 
store there to purchase some tea, and as he came out, was shot by McKel- 
lar and fatally wounded. A surgeon was called but the victim died within 
forty-eight hours. Immediately after the murder, McKellar coolly saddled 
his horse and rode away, while the men who stood about did not attempt to 
stop him, as they were waiting for the sheriff to procure a warrant for his 
arrest. After the escape followed a week ~of excitement in pursuit of the 
criminal. A reward of $500.00 was offered for his arrest. After a week, 
however, he was brought to Loup City, by his own father and given up. 
He was then placed in jail and securely guarded until the time of his trial 
in April. He was found guilty and sentenced to the State penitentiary for 
life. Here, we are told, he was shot and killed by a guard some years ago, 
while attempting to escape. Thus ends the life story of George McKellar, 
the first settler on the Middle Loup in Vallev county. 

The story of the Middle Loup in Valley county is of late years centered 
in the rise of Arcadia. The first postoffice it will be remembered was es- 
tablished on the homestead of Samuel A. Hawthorne, a short distance from 
the present townsite. For some years no move was made to build a town. 
The settlers made Loup City and St. Paul their trading points. This seems 
a long distance for us now to go to dispose of one's butter and eggs and to 
get groceries in return ; but in early days the inconvenience of the thing 



THE MIDDLE LOUP AND ARCADIA 



151 



was not taken into consideration, and then, too, all in all considered, time 
was not so valuable as now. 

In 1880 there came up the Middle Loup a man, every inch of him a 
practical business man — this was John Wall, today known as one of the 
grittiest and most successful lawyers and business men in his part of the 
state. It struck him forcibly that the lands adjacent to the river bottom 
and Hawthorne Creek would make an ideal site for a town. The valley was 
fast filling up with settlers now and the railroad was bound soon to follow 
upon their trail. So why not stake out a town and become its founder! 
The project soon took form and Boone Hawthorne's homestead was chosen 
for the original townsite. While the beginnings were made in 1882 the 
town was not properly platted till some three years later. The plat was 
put on record, Oct. 3, 1885, and shows that Parley Round, Alice Round, 
John Wall and Isabella Wall were all associated in the new enterprise. 

The first store in town was a general merchandise establishment, oper- 
ated by Ed. Puller. W. B. Reynolds soon afterwards opened a hardware 
store. Then came W. S. Owens with a harness shop and George Hastings 
with another general merchandise store. The Landers Block and the first 
good hotel were erected and Mrs. Sylvina Gilchrist moved the postoffice to 
town from her farm one and a half miles out from the new site. These 
business places were practically all the accessions that the town could boast 
for several years. But the last half of the decade 1880-'90 saw substantial 
additions made to Arcadia, both in the business quarter and the residence 
portion of the town. Then came that season of disasters, 1890-'91. 

In the fall of this year th^ very heart was burned out of the business 
street. Some eight leading firms were put out of business, several of them 

never to reopen. To this day the scars 
of the conflagration can plainly be seen. 
And now right on the heels of the first 
calamity came the first dry season and 
Arcadia naturally enough came to an 
absolute standstill. From 1891 to 1896 
and even later the young town saw some 
distressing times. Many of the popula- 
tion became absolutely disheartened and 
pulled stakes and left the country. A 
number of houses were actually moved 
from town and transformed into farm- 
dwellings. Arcadia was on the retro- 
grade. But this is only telling over 
again the story of every other town in 
the Valley. 
By 1900 the rallying point had been 
. Hon. A. E. Bartoo. reached. The population was then 350. 

In 1902 it reached 374, and in 1905 it has increased to nearly 700. Modern 
dwelling houses are springing up in every part of town. John Wall has 




152 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

lately completed a fine brick business bouse to take the place of the one de- 
stroyed by tire some time ago, entailing a net loss of $25,000; an up-to-date 
Odd Fellows' Hall is under construction and ground has been broken for 
the new Kinsey bank building. Substantial cement walks are fapidl.y sup- 
planting the old wooden structures; beautiful shade trees and well kept 
lawns begin to mark a prosperous, growing community. 

The Arcadia Champion sets forth the year's growth in the following 
language: 

WHAT wit HAVE DONE. 

A summary of the improvements which have been built and are now in 
building or for which contracts have been let might prove interesting. 
Here is the list: 

Mrs. Salisbury, cottage $ 800.00 

Mrs. Salisbury, residence i . 1000.00 

O. D. Henyon, cottage 1. 750.00 

A. Lane, house 500.00 

Arthur Lane, house . 300.00 

H. E. Sawyer, cottage 650.00 

E. H. Peck, cottage 500.00 

E. P. Milburn, residence., i 1 1250.00 

C. Landers, cottage 800.00 

Peter Christian, two houses 500.00 

F. H. Davis, residence 1000.00 

F. H. Kinsey, residence / 3000.00 

C. O. Blomquist, residence ' 1400.00 

H. O. Cooley, residence 1150.00 

G. H. Kinsey, barn lf.00.00 

G. H. Kinsey, bank \ 4000.00 

Odd Fellows' Hall and Opera House 6000.00 

W. L Phillips, lumber office and sheds.. 1500.00 

M. L. Fries, lumber sheds . . . 700.0(3 

J. P. Leininger Lumber Co., ldmber office 

and sheds 3000.00 

This foots $30,300. Comment is unnecessary. Bring on your improve- 
ments, you towns. 

And again a week later: 

Besides the sum of nearly $35,000 that is being spent in new buildings 
in this city this year, the following sums have been expended in building 
additions to buildings already here: 

Peter Christian \ $1000.00 

E A. Donnell 350.00 

E. L. Quinton 300.00 

S. E. Leininger 100.00 

D. O. Hawley 400.00 

G. W. Scott 350.00 

J. M. Robinson 350.00 

E. G. Robinson 200.00 

H. H. Waggoner 300.00 

W. L. Bruner 150.00 

Besides this there have been cement sidewalks built by Hastings, 
Raish. Boyce, Cooper Bros, and Landers at a cost of about $40 each. This 
adds $4,000 more to the amount spent in improvements this year, which 



THE MIDDLE LOUP AND ARCADIA 



153 



added to the $35,900 as shown in the Champion of last week makes a total of 
over $39,000 spent in improvements in this city this year. 

A chronicle of the Middle Loup Valley would not be complete without 
a passing glance at Lee's Park, lying some five miles southwest from Ar- 
cadia. The "Park" is a beautiful valley lying on the border line of Valley 
and Custer counties, right between the Middle Loud river and Clear Creek. 
It is surrounded with hills and unfolds itself in many gentle undulations. 
This remarkable valley, containing some 4-5000 acres, is one of the choicest 
farming and fruit raising regions in the entire state. The soil is a rich, 
dark loam, capable of withstanding almost any amount of dry weather. 

The valley takes its name from the first settler, James Lee, who 
reached the hills overlooking it in September, 1874. The wild beauty of 
the scene struck a romantic chord in this pioneer's breast, who immedi- 
ately selected a choice spot at the center of the valley and squatted there. 
In '75 he pre-empted one quarter and entered an adjoining quarter as a 




Home of Hon. A. E. Bartoo at Arcadia. 

timber claim. Thus settlement was begun. 

Mr. J. L. H. Knight, one of the enterprising stock raisers and farmers 
of Lee's Park, may here be allowed to take up the thread of the story. He 
says: "Mr. Lee kept bachelor's hall in a sod house, and began to subdue 
the native soil. He evidently succeeded, as his first wheat crop of one acre 
testified. He obtained from it forty bushels of wheat, which is supposed 
to be the largest yield ever raised in the park. The following spring he 
continued his operations on the farm, and planted some trees on his timber 
claim, but the grasshoppers again found him, a,nd ate up his corn crop, and 
also all of his small trees. During these years, as hunters and adventurers 
passed through, they occasionally stopped at the bachelor's sod mansion, 
and the fact of his being the only settler, and working with his trees on his 



154 THE TRAIL OF'-THE LrOU-P 

timber claim, caused the travelers to name the valley "Lee's Park." Here 
then this settler dwelt, year after year, in solitude— farming, planting trees, 
and doing his sewing, cooking and washing. He tried to get others to lo- 
cate, but no one volunteered. Nearly four v ears had passed by, and his 
courage, which had remained firm for'#ears, began to wane, and he at last 
decided to leave his beautiful half ^section of land. 

"About this time, however, Frank Wright offered to locate in the park, 
providing Mr. Lee surrendered to him his pre-emption, on which was his 
house and well. This Mr. Lee agreed' to do, and soon after, Mr. Wright 
started to claim his new possessions. On his way he fell in with some land 
seekers who seemed to be headed for Lee's Park, so they went together 
and on arriving at Mr. Lee's, Wright asked for the papers, which were im- 
mediately surrendered. S -on after, however, this Mr. Wright sold the 
place for $25 to F. E. Morrison. These laud lookers were William and Jos- 
eph Murray, who, in February, 1878, took claims in the park, and their 
families arrived in May the same year. Soon after this, in March, Benja- 
min Knight located in the Park, and returned to his Wisconsin home to 
claim the hand of his "best girl," and together they journeyed to their 
frontier home. From this time on, settlers flocked in rapidly, and James 
Lee, no longer alone, decided not toj leave. His pre-emption right, how- 
ever, being gone, he proceeded to the extreme end of the park and filed 
on a 160-acre piece as a homestead, on the bank of the little stream after- 
wards known as "Lee's Creek." 

"In July Messrs. Overton, Chandler True, Jay Hamlin, George Ham- 
lin, Jr., E. Stephens and William Vanalstine settled. In August, T. J. 
Johnson and Amos Smith; ihen followed Parish Freeman and his son 
Charles; William Hall, Joseph Peacock, and James Tnompson. In 1879 
Edward Knight, Phillip Lynch, James Wisely, N. Mehrhoff, Nelson Pot- 
ter, Sam Minchell and Mr. Abel located here. In 1880, David and Archie 
Todd, F. E. Morrison, James Bradford, and Thomas, John and Sam Ber- 
ridge arrived. Next year J. L. H. Knisht settled permanently here with 
his father, Edward Knight, who had arrived two years prior to this. 

The early settlers of Lse's Park underwent many hardships and priva- 
tions. Corn stalks and willows were the main reliance in those days for 
fuel. The mail service at first was not very good; for a while their post- 
office was at Loup Ci'y, a distance of twenty-two miles; afterwards there 
was an office established at Wescott, which was twelve miles distant, but 
shortly it was arranged to have an office on Clear Creek, four miles west of 
the park. This was quickly followed in the fall of 1878 or '79 with Uncle 
Sam's locating one in Lee's Park. 

"During the fall of 1878, the first district school meeting was held in 
Lee's Park, which was then organized as Joint- District No. 11, of Custer 
and Valley counties. This meeting was held at the house of Parish Free- 
man, and it was decided to build a sod school house, which was completed 
the following spring. During the summer of 1878, a Sunday School was 
organized with Benjamin Knight, as superintendent. It was. h^ldj.frpm 



THE MIDDLE LOUP AND ARCADIA 155 

house to house, and occasionally Father Cook, a Baptist minister living on 
the Middle Loup, came over and preached. After the schoolhouse was 
built the Sunday School and preaching was held there. This sod school, 
house was occupied for years, until it was declared unsafe, when a sod 
building was rented of P. E. Morrison, to hold school in. During these 
years, the school district being large, and in two counties, caused much dis- 
agreement. Some wished it divided, while others wished it to remain as 
it was. Finally the south end was allowed to go off with District No. 91. 
This, however, did not settle the matter, and school meeting after school 
meeting was called, which finally resulted, in 1889, in dividing the district 
on the county lino. The following summer, these districts built new frame 
schoolhouses, one in Custer county, and one in Valley county. 

"In April, 1884, the town of Lee Park was laid out in Custer county on 
the town line, and the same year, the Lilly and Houder addition to Lee 
Park was laid out, adjoining the original town, and in Valley county, with 
the postuffice in Valley county. Then came quite a boom for the new town. 
A general merchandise store was built by Lilly & Houder, to which the 
postoffice was removed; then followed a blacksmith shop, a hotel, a wagon 
shop, and a feed stable. This little town was progressing finely when the 
B. & M. railroad concluded to outdo the U. P. railroad, and so built past 
Loup City, the terminus of the U. P. railroad, and stopped at Arca- 
dia, five miles from Lee's Park. The little town held out for a while, but 
the railroad town of Arcadia took away its vitality, and after some strug- 
gles, the town of Lee Park was no more. All the buildings were torn 
down or removed, and an attempt was made to take away even the post- 
office. The attempt was nearly, or quite successful, as the office was actu- 
ally removed to Arcadia, but prompt action was taken by patrons of the 
office, and an order came for its return, only a day after its removal. The 
posioffice was afterwards removed from Valley county across the line into 
Custer county, where it still remains. The fact that originally the post- 
office was in Valley county, and is now in Custer county, has caused some 
confusion as to the real location of Lee Park, some thinking it in Valley 
and some in Custer county. The name of the town and postoffice has also 
been confused with the name of the valley. Originally the postoffice had 
the same name as the valley, but Jay Hamlin, while postmaster, had the 
name of the office changed to Lee Park, consequently the name of the post- 
office is Lee Park, and the name of the valley is Lee's Park. 

"The farmers of Lee's Park are honest and industrious, and are not of 
the shifting kind. Most of the old settlers are still residing here, and seem 
to have no idea of soon changing their location. This makes it difficult to 
purchase a farm in Lee's Park, and when one is sold, it is at good figures." 



The Further History of Garfield County. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Everywhere is the grasping hand, 

An eager adding of land to land' 

And earth, which seemed to the fathers meant 

But as a pilgrim's wayside tent, 

A nightly shelter to fold away 

When the Lord should call at the break of day, 

Solid and steadfast seems to be. 

And time has forgotten Eternity! — Whittier, the Preacher. 

THE story of the first comers to Garfield county has been touched upon 
in a former chapter. It remains for us to tell, in the passing, some- 
thing further about their frontier experiences — for be it kept in mind, they 
Were now the extreme outpost on the north. The Battle of Pebble Creek, 
Jan. 19, 1874, was distinctly their fight. It was fought practically in their 
midst and one of their number lost his life in the fray. Then relief came 
With the building of Port Hartsuff. For two years the Indians kept to the 
hills and were rarely seen. But the ereat "Indian year" — 1876 — was at 
hand, growing out of the gold discovery in the Black Hills and the conse- 
qupnt expulsion of the Red Man from those favorite haunts. Everywhere 
the Sioux were on the war-path. Even now it is doubtful whether there 
would have been anv trouble in the valley had not the settlers themselves 
precipitated the trouble. 

The story, in brief, of the last encounter between the settlers and the 
Sioux Indians — the socalled "Battle of the Blowout" — is as follows: A 
small band of Indians was discovered in the hills near Jones' Canyon. The 
settlers, aided by local trappers and gold seekers on their way to the Black 
Hills, immediately took the trail and, after a running fight of several 
miles, brought the redskins to bay in a large blowout above Pebble Creek. 
A messenger had meanwhile been sent post haste to Port Hartsuff for rein- 
forcements. A young and inexperienced lieutenant by the name of Hyle 
led a squad of soldiers to the battleground. In a ridiculous and unwarranted 
charge upon the blowout First Sergeant Dougherty fell mortally wounded. 
The besiegers now realized the folly of trying to drive the Indians out of 
their excellent retreat, and accordingly settled down to a siege. But, 
strange as it may seem, that very night the Indians escaped under cover of 
darkness, and this in spite of the cordon of men surrounding the blowout. 

Mr, C, H. Jones has written his version of tjie pattle, wfricfr I panpok 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY 



157 



forbear repeating here. He has retold the story so often to appreciative 
listeners these thirty years past that it has inadvertently become somewhat 
enlarged. His personal prowess especially seems to be greatly overdone. 
But this touch of egotism may be readily overlooked in the lace of the fact 
that the story is very interesting: 

;i In the spring of 1876 the Sioux were on the war-path. One morning 
Tom Hemmett came down the canyon from his claim just as we were eating 
breakfast, and coming to the house asked me 'what those bareheaded men 
were doing up there on the hill?' I asked, 'where did you see any bare- 




The North Loup River near the Old Mill. Burwell. (By the Courtesy of Mrs. Anna Johns.) 

headed men?' 'Right up there,' looking over the top of the hill about 350 
yards from the house. 'Bareheaded men, h— 1! they are Indians,' I yelled, 
and grabbing my gun went around the point on a double-quick. I went up 
a 'pocket' and peeked over very carefully but they were gone. I went to 
the spot and discovered tracks and followed the trail until I saw they were 
headed for the west canvon. Running back to the house I sent Tom down 
the valley to get out the boys and have them meet me at the forks of the 
west canyon. 

"I went back, took up the trail and followed the Indians. They knew 
they had been seen and had stopped just over the bank of a canyon half way 
between the east and west canyons and were lying down watching the back 
trail. Instead of following the trail I trotted up the west can>on. I went 
up very cautiously, knowing almost exactly where they would cross it. 
Every point I approached very carefully, looking through the grass at the 
top, and lucky I did so, for at the last one I found them, not more than 10Q 
yards distant and on the lookout over the back trail. My heart thumped so 



158 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



loud I was afraid tbey would hear it, but I guess they didn't, for in about 
twenty minutes they moved west. I waited a few minutes, then went up 
the bank and peeked again. They were in plain sight, six of them well 
armed and watching everything. I kept to the left towards the canyon so 
that I could see the boys when they came up. The Indians finally went 
down into the south pocket of the west canyon and I circled around expect- 
ing them to come out at thn head of it, but after waiting a long time I made 
up my mind that they had slipped out toward the valley, so I started back 
on the north side of the pocket, keeping a sharp lookout. Finally I discov- 
ered just a little smoke in the canyon, and slipping along peeking over cau- 
tiously, I discovered them around a little fire eating a turkey they had stolen 




Original Log House Built by Mr. William Draver South of Burwell in the Early Seventies. 

the night before from Dolph Alderman. How I wished for the boys then! 
But there was a misunderstanding 1 . Instead of coming where I told them 
to they mounted their horses and went up tbe valley to head them off. 

"When I got home and found out why the boys had not shown up, I sad- 
dled my pony, went back and found that the Indians had gone and then pulled 
out for Pebble Oeek, to the north of the canyons, looking for their trail. 
Just as I neared the head of the creek I saw some of the trapper boys com- 
ing and two of them cameover to where I was. They had gone'four miles 
beyond, and seeing nothing had turned back. I told them the Indians were 
hidden somewhere in the canyons near Pebble Creek and they went to 
looking. During this time others had joined us, most of them on foot, 
however. Two of us remained north of the canyons to see whether they 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY 159 

would appear again and, sure enough, in about thirty minutes the footmen 
routed them out of Pebble Creek, but no shots were flred. As soon as they 
came out we gave the alarm and went for them. Alter about a mile of hot 
chase the Indians threw away everything except guns and ammunition. 
When I came up I dismounted and picked up a cartridge belt of Indian 
manufacture with 16 44-calibre empty shells in it. The belt I wanted as a 
memento, and I have it .yet after nearly 30 years. After joining the ad- 
vance it became evident that we would have to thruw out flankers, as they 
would stop over every hill and let fly a couple of shots, but they could not 
hit a barn after running as they had. 

"In our party were four mounted trappers and three young men who 
were en route to the Black Hills— James Flint, Elmer Raymond, John Mc- 
Nutt. and myself (C. H. Jones). The trappers and strangers took the 
flanks and left us the center. There had been only Ave or six shots fired 
by our side when we lost the Indians in the sand hills just to the north and 
east of the head of Dry Creek. We knew they were somewhere, therefore 
we commenced looking in the blowouts and in so doing our party became 
scattered over a mile of territory. Some of the trapper boys were to the 
northwest, the rest east, and my party to the west and southwest of the 
blowout where the Indians were. Will Wirtz and two of the Black Hills 
men were about 300 yards to the north and a little west. Steve Chase and 
his partner were about 200 yards east and a little north. D.ive Shroyer and 
George Baker were southeast 100 yards. McNutt and I were south 175 
yards, Jas. Flint was 200 yards southwest and Elmer Raymond had stopped 
on a knoll 200 yards west. Now I will go back and bring up rtie reserves. 
"When the trapper boys started to head them off above Pebble Creek 
and left me alone with the Indians. Newt. McClimans mounted a horse and 
made for the Fort, yelling 'Indians!' as he went. He dashed into the Fort 
and told Capt. Coppinger and immediately thereafter the bugle sounded 
'boots and saddles."' In less than 15 minutes after McClimans got there 
Lieut. Hyle dashed out at the head of 15 mounted men and went flying up 
the valley. The Indians were about two miles from the Calamus valley. 
These troops rode up the Calamus above where we were, but scout 'Buck 
Shot' beinff with them and having a powerful glass was taking advantage 
of the high places to look over the country and discover us. 

"At about this time I had located the Indians in a blowout and yelled 
to Raymond. But he, having sighted the soldiers, paid no further atten- 
tion to me. Dave Shroyer heard me and asked me where the place was,— 
Dave was in the valley between the parallel ridges and about 150 yards 
from me. I pointed north and he turned and dashed up the hill to the very 
edge of the blowout, in fact the horse's head was over the edge. Just then 
a shot rang out and Dave's horse wheeled and plunged down the hill, blood 
spurting from his neck. Immediately after an Indian jumped out of the 
hole and shot again, then started down the hill after Dave. Then another 
Indian joined the chase. I jumped off my horse and told McNutt to hold 
him but he had skipped down the slope about 30 feet. I yelled at him to 



160 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

stop, telling him that I would shoot him if he didn't, and then ran down 
the hill and gave him my horse and told him to stay there, and ran back 
just as the last Indian was getting out of the hole. I dropped down, rested 
my gun over the top of the hill, took sight and fired. The Indian threw up 
both hands and fell with a yell backward into the hole. The other Indians 
looked around in time to see him disappear and just then George Baker 
opened fire. The Indians immediately broke for the hole again and went 
in much quicker than they came out. I got another shot at them just as 
the last one went over the edge, but not being a good wing shot I missed 
him. I then fired a couple of shots into the hole. The Indians now made 
an attempt to escape by the north side but three shots from the Wirtz 
party put them back. Steve Chase was standing on the hill to the right 
and shortly after two shots in qui^k succession came from the Indians and 
Steve dropped out of siirht. I left Fling and Raymond and went around to 
see what had become of Steve. I found him lying on the slope out of range 
with his partner holding the horses. I asked him if he was shot and he 
said 'no, but I don't see how the d — 1 that Indian shot uii both sides of me 
at once.' He said the balls didn't miss him on either side over five inches. 
I told him two Indians fired at the same time. I gave my horse to the man 
holding Steve's and we crawled up to the top of the hill, one to watch while 
the other shot. A shot or two was fired. Then the Indians replied, 
the first shot striking just between us. We moved a little and then be- 
gan a fusillade. It wasn't long till the Indians ceased firing. Then we hol- 
lowed to Dave and George to come out. They wre behind a little knoll 
just large enough to cover them, but too low down to fire from at the blow- 
out. They came out and everything was quiet for awhile. Then the In- 
dians raised a rag on a gun and shook it. I afterwards thought they wanted 
to parley but at the time of it I didn't think a black flag denoted anything 
but blood, so I let drive a shot and the flag disappeared. (The fact of it 
was, they didn't have any white cloth, but I didn't think of it at that time.) 
Now, I never felt just right over this matter for I believe that the Indians 
either wanted to surrender unconditionally or else get us out from under 
cover and shoot one or more of us to even up the score. But we will never 
know just what their intention was. At all events that was the last shot 
for awhile. 

"Dave Shroyer suggested when he joined us that perhaos they wanted 
to surrender when they made the signal. But I told him that I thought 
they had adopted the wrong course in raising the black flag, so the only 
consolation I have is to blame the government for not furnishing their good 
Indians with white handkerchiefs to use when they got into a hole and 
chances were desperate. 

"When 'Buckshot' saw Raymond's signal he dashed down the hill, 
joined the soldiers and led thern on a gallop over the country to our posi- 
tion. As the soldiers came over a point about 250 yards from the blowout 
the Indians tired two shots at them. One of the shots cut the mane of a 
horse, next to Lieut. Hyle. After Hyle had asked a few questions he told 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OP GARFIELD COUNTY 161 

us that this was no way to fight Indians. 'Why didn't you go up in a body 
and take them out?' he asked. You may believe I was somewhat taken 
aback as I thought we had done very well. Hyle then told us that his ex- 
perience of three years with the Apaches was to go right after them and 
keep them going" By this time I had gotten my wind. 'Lieutenant,' I 
said, 'they're in the blowout; go and get them.' After a little parleying 
seven of our party took a position on the top of a knoll to keep the Indians 
from firing on the soldiers as they advanced, and the soldiers with Lieut. 
Hyle on the right and Serat. Dougherty on the left, advanced up the hill. 
Sergt. Dougherty got to the top first and came in sight of the Indians. He 
stepped back, motioned to Hyle that they were there; then, with gun ready, 
stepped back' to the edge of the blowout when an Indian fired, shooting him 
through the heart. This threw the soldiers into a panic. They squatted down 
holding their guns over their heads and fired into the hole without effect- 
all exceot Lieut. Hyle. He deliberately stepped to the top, took aim and 
fired but missed, and the Indians fired three shots at him but missed him. 
After the soldiers fired thev all ran clown the hill and when Hyle stepped 
back to reload he found himself alone. He could not get any of his men to 
go up after Sergt. Dougherty's body. Bill Wiitz and one of the Black Hills 
men finally joined the lieutenant and recovered the body. The lieutenant 
stood and'looked at the body of the dead sergeant and then at his cowardly 
squad of men without saying a word. Finally one of the strangers spoke 
to him and he roused up, and sent one of the soldiers to the Fort after 
more men and the ambulance. It was then sundown. Pickets were put 
around the hole. James Flint and one or two others and I left for home. 
The reinforcements arrived about midnight and at daylight another advance 
was made, but the Indians were gone. 

"In about three weeks we got word from the Rosebud Agency that our 
party of six had come in almost naked and that one of them had a bad 
wound, being shot across the breast from right to left and that the bone on 
the right side was splintered. I knew then that he was my Indian and that 
if I had shot two inches farther to the left he would have been a good 

Indian." 

As an immediate result of this brush with the Indians, a number ot 
families fcelinsr themselves insecure in life and property abandoned their 
claims and left the frontier. Thus the settlers McNutts, Harpers, Ray- 
monds, and others set their faces southward, away from the settlement. 

Mr. Jones, nothing daunted, constructed an almost bulletproof fort at a 
short distance from his hous«, and placed Tom H^mmett in command. 
Under him was a garrison of two. The ruins of this fortification are yet 
traceable on a sharp ridge, at some H5 to 90 yards distance from the old 

Jones cabin. 

But the Indians had gone to rally around Sitting Bull and other chiefs 
in a vain hope to drive back the regulars which General Miles was begin- 
ning to hurl asrainst them. 

Aside from the Indian troubles just narrated, life in the upper settle- 



162 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



ment was much akin to that of the lower settlements. The ''Gillespie 
Star Route" was at an early date extended as far as Willow Springs on the 
north side, and to The Forks on the south of the river. Truman Freeland 
carried the mail, in 1874, from St. Paul to the "Springs," via the Spring- 
dale-Oalamus route. That same year Henry Maxon opened the first post- 
office at The Forks, that being the northern limit of the route extending 
from St. Paul, through Cotesfield, North Loup, and Ord. 

Here too were the settlers jealous of the education of their children. 
In the summer of '75 a very neat, shingled loghouse was erected and Almira 
J. Freeland installed to teach the first school in the county. 

But, all considered, the settlers experienced some fearfully hard years; 



4 1 

5 8 



ifr- 



^4=5^ 



%4* 



5 a 



1ST 



+ 






5 




TT 




\N 


D 



i!fc 



3RD 


7 


-~tf 


1 1 


i 




ft 



4-TH 



Tr ~ 

s s 



r^n 



COURT 
SQUARE 



■ 




I 


1 1 


! 
I 










11 






it 



# 



ST. 



ST. 



m 





. 1 




1 






«0 


i 






3 





ST. 




1 


-1 




rr— 


4 



M 



5: 



m 



4- 


\=4 


4 


' 


s 


I 



sr.% 






CO 



Plat of tbe Defunct Cedar City, First County Seat of 
the Original Wheeler County. 

and'yet, as was said of the early New England Pilgrims, not a one of the 
real settlers lost heart and wished himself back to the flesh-pots of the East. 
Neither loss of crops by grasshoppers and hail, with consequent shortage 
in bread, nor winter storm and summer drought could dishearten them, and 
they lived to see their part of the valley bloom like a rose — great farms, 
well stocked with choice catfcle, and growing marvelous crops. Carefree, 
with larder well filled and good balances in the bank, they may now take 
the well-earned rest which is theirs. They opened the Trail of the Loup, 
and those who came after do them honor. 

For more than eight years after the first nucleus of pioneers has 
reached what we now know as Garfield county, that part of the state con- 
tinued as "Unorganized Territory." For judicial purposes and for pur- 
poses of taxation, all that portion lying immediately north and west of Val- 
ley county was attached to the latter county. But this condition of things 
was never satisfactory; accordingly a new county, Wheeler, was organized. 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY 



163 



This took place on the 11th day of April, 1881. The act provided for the 
organization of a territory forty-eight miles east and west, by twenty-four 
miles north and south, comprising the present counties of Wheeler and 

Garfield. 

J. P. Cummings was elected County Clerk and for some time he kept 
the county records at Cumminsville on Beaver Creek, which may therefore 




Old Precinct Map of Garfield County. 

be termed the first county seat. But this place was altogether too far east 
to suit the settlers living in the western part of the county. So it came 
about that a new county seat, Cedar City by name, was founded near the 
middle of the county, on Cedar Creek, or as it is now often designated— 
"River." This town proved, however, to be a "bird of passage'' only, for 
as soon as Wheeler county was again divided, in 1884. and Bartlett made 



164 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



the permanent county seat, Cedar City passed away so rapidly thaf today 
its very foundations are no longer to be seen. 

Since the organization of Wheeler county there had been considerable 
dissension among the settlers relative to an eventual division of the count.y 
into regular congressional counties. In 1884 such a division actually took 
place and Garfield county was organized. Burwell was by gubernatorial 
proclamation made the temporary county seat, and an election was called 
to be held at the store of Mr. Graber, at Burwell, December 30, 1884. 

The ante-election campaign brought out three rivals for county seat 
honors — Willow Springs, Burwell and Midvale. A bitter struggle ensued, 
wherein county officials and settlers took sides and joined the faction which 
seemed at the time to suit their own ends best. All Garfield county was 
divided into rival camps. However, election day dawned and even before 
the formality of a regular count had been gone through with, it was seen 
that Willow Springs was the winner with votes to spare. But the law pro- 
vides that where more than two contesting points are voted on, a second 
election shall be called to choose between the two getting the highest vote 
in the first election. Midvale had received the smallest vote and was there- 
fore dropped. The second election was set for January 30, 1885. 

Another month of bitter campaigning and full of anxiety passed, and 
election day was again at hand. Both factions were out in force as the 
vote all along had promised to be a very close one. In this respect no one 
was disappointed, for out of a total vote of 277, Willow Springs received 
142 and Burwell 135, a difference of only seven vutes. But this result was 

not satisfactory to the south siders, 
who asked and received from the 
State Supreme Court, a writ of 
mandamus, issued April 9, 1885, 
whereby a recount of votes was or- 
dered. 

This recount took place April 18, 
and resulted, — Willow Springs 105 
and Burwell 128. Such a remark- 
able figure was the direct result of 
gross irregularities. It seems that 
before the canvassing board had 
time to count the returns, the en- 
tire "Dry Cedar" vote was done 
away with. The story goes that 
there are those still living in Gar- 
field county who could, if they were 
so inclined, tell the secrets of that 
remarkable coup d' etat. But how- 
soever this may be the machinations 
proved of no avail, as the Supreme 
Court set aside the alternative Writ after a careful hearing of both sides in 




Incident from the Garfield County Seat Fight: 
Sheriff Johns Serving the "Writ" on the 
County Clerk. (From the Willow Springs 
Illustrated Gazette.) 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY 165 

the contest. The judges subsequently gave the certificate of election to 
Willow Springs, declaring that town the legally chosen county seat. 

Now ensued a spectacular fight for the possession of the county rec- 
ords. The County Clerk, Henry W. Mattley, and County Commissioner 
O. E. Randall, insisted that Burwell was and should remain the county 
seat. A majority of the board, James Butler and M. E. Guyer,on the other 
hand, were as insistent on making Willow Springs the county seat. The 
county records contain some very interesting reading in this connection. 
First the county clerk called a meeting of the commissioners as follows: 
Commissioners of Garfield county will please meet at my office on Saturday, May 16th, 
1835, for the purpose of declaring Burwell the county seat of Garfield county, Nebraska. 
May 8th, 1885. Henr? W. Mattley, County Clerk 

Then it appears that two of the members ignored this call entirely 
as the minutes here appended show : 

Office of Clerk. Burwell, Nebraska, May 16, 1885. 

In accordance to above call Mr. O. E. Randall appeared at office aud as he was uuaccom- 
pauied by either of the other commissioners, no business was done. 

Attest: H. W. Mattley, C?.erk. 

But all this time the other two members of the board were planning to 
organize the county government at Willow Springs. To that end a meet- 
ing was called for June 2. On their minutes we read these terse, epi- 
gramatic statements: 

Willow Springs, June 2, '85. 

H. W. Mattley ordered to appear instanter— fails— Sheriff sent after Mm. 

W. E. Johns, Sheriff. James Butler i Comms present at 

John W. Abbott, Clerk Pro Tempore M. E. Guyer \ Meeting. 

It would appear from the above, and from statements of eye witnesses 
and participants that at first the clerk flatly refused to move his books from 
Burwell to Willow Springs, and that there was talk of holding the tem- 
porary court house oy force of arms if need be; but better judgment finally 
prevailed, so that when the sheriff a second time crossed the river for Mr. 
Mattley, he was found in waiting on the south side of the river, willing to 
be transported to the victorious "Springs." 

But the end was not yet. In 1887 the Burlington and Missouri River 
Railroad in Nebraska commenced building northward, up through the val- 
ley, on the south side of the river. From Ord it extended its grade to Bur- 
well, and on to Butka on the Calamus. This was a death blow to Willow 
Springs. Poor "Springs!" had she not been living in the almost certain 
hope of getting an extension of t tie Union Pacific which had these many 
years had its terminus at Ord? And, now, at one fell stroke she was ut- 
terly ruined ! As was expected, a new election was ordered, and this time 
resistance was simply hopeless. February 16, 1890, decided the county 
seat question forever. Burwell received 288 votes, while Willow Springs 
could muster only 148. Thus the change was made and Willow Springs 
passes out of history. 

The above is a terse outline of the bitter struggle which for years set 
neighbor against neighbor in Garfield county, almost threatening for a 



16 6 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 




The Loss of the Ballot Box: An Interesting Act in Garfield County History Retold in 
Pictures. (From the Willow Springs Illustrated Gazette,) 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OP GARFIELD COUNTY 167 

brief time intestine war. But fortunately this is all over now, and though 
not entirely forgotten, has long been forgiven; so that those who partici- 
pated in the fight, are again on as good terms of comradeship as when they 
first, as brothers, tuiled over the Trail of the Loup. 

No one person, perhaps, was more vitally interested in the county seat 
struggle than H. C. Jones of Willow Springs He furnished much of the 
"sinews of war,'" and when all was lost and Burwell won, it meant financial 
ruin to him. It is but proper then that ne should be allowed to tell his 
storv of the matter, and in his own way. The narrative gives many side- 
lights and is, in the main, correct, though his memory may at times err in 
minor details. He says: 

"In 1884 the proposition for a division of the county was submitted to 
the people and carried. Frank Webster had laid out a townsite the year 
before and there were five or six buildings up at that time, and perhaps 
more— I have forgotten— and it had gotten the temporary county seat. 
Tom Hemmett and the Acrees had laid out a town a quarter of a mile west 
of my store and called it Willow Springs. Frank Webster's town was 
named Burwell. John Acree at that time was our main politician. He was 
a talker, a great schemer of very nervous disposition and never at his best 
unless well loaded with Hostetter's Hunki Dori Bitters of which I kept a 
good supply. 

"The same year, I think, the location for county seat of the new county 
of Garfield came up. The contest was very warm between Burwell and 
Willow Springs. In the contest Willow Springs won with the aid of our 
friends in the north and east part of the county. As soon as the result was 
known Tom Hemmet and the Acrees began to put up a building for county 
offices. At the end of the time allowed for canvassing the vote it was 
found that the ballots, poll book, etc,, of Dry Cedar precinct had been 
stolen and the Burwell people had the clerk (who was a Burwell man) de- 
clare in favor of Burwell, but soon after he wanted to take it back as his 
own brother was going to scalp him. About that time there was a strong 
talk of war — a war of extermination. Most of the citizens on both sides 
of the river denounced the act, and on account of ib the feeling was very 
strong in favor of Willow Springs. 

"In less than two hours after the clerk had announced the result, men 
were riding over the country on different missions; one to Cedar City after 
a certified copy of the poll book, another to the district judge for an injunc- 
tion, etc.. and a letter was written to the governor to "head off" the clerk's 
returns, and everything was done that could be thought of to get our rights 
by law. Wise council prevailed and there was no resort to arms, but the 
matter was kept in the court for some time, Willuw Springs winning. 

"The building was completed in the meantime and a store started 
in the lower room thereof. Other buildings went up and by the first of 
June 1887, Willow Springs had two general stores, one grocery, one news- 
paper, two drugstores, one bakery, one hardware, one bank, one black- 
smith shop and several dwellings. I then bought the Hemmett building, 



168 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

had it remodelled and moved my store up there but found it too small. 
Just before I moved, the county records were brought over from Burwell 
by sheriff W. C. Johns, who had a little squabble with the Burwellites to 
obtain possession of them, and we had the county seat in fact. But the 
B. & M. Road built to Burwell and we had to fight for our existance. 
Some of the newcomers got skittish and made arrangements to move their 
buildings to Burwell and give up our town. As soon as a start was made 
away went everything but one other and myself. I had doubled the size of 
my buildings and had the largest stock of goods in the county and held a 
good share of the trade. But the fight for relocation of the county seat 
was kept up continually by Burwell. Whenever they got up a petition we 
got up a counter petition which carried more names than theirs, conse- 
quents the commissioners would not grant their petition. 

"About this time W. Z. Todd started the "Enterprise" at Willow 
Springs. Soon after Geo. Gill came out from Ohio and started a hardware 
and tinshop and Willow Springs was "looking up" again. Burwellites got 
out another petition; we got out a remonstrance and hired men to canvass 
the county with it. When the commissioners met there was considerable 
oratory and wire-pulling but the board decided not to call an election. The 
Burwellites applied for a mandamus. H. W. Todd was sent to Grand 
Island to look after the interests of Willow Springs and succeeded in 
knocking them out. I wish to go back a little and show what we had to do 
to keep up our end of the fight. 

{i At the time our town had reached its best we wanted a bridge across 
the Loup The county wasn't able to build it; a bond was out of the ques- 
tion, so we had to hustle. $780 were subscribed towards the building of a 
bridge. $100 of this amount was subscribed by Commissioner Jackson and 
others, of Burwell, wno when they discovered that the bridge would not be 
located just where they wanted it, promptly withdrew their subscriptions. 

"Then we got busy and laid out a road on the south side of the river 
and one on the north side, both terminating at the river, and demanded a 
bridge. It was then up to the board. We agreed with them to make up 
what the county lacked in funds to put in the bridge and it was built. 

'All this cost me money. And to make matters worse a hailstorm de- 
stroyed the crops about this time and I was compelled to do a large credit 
business and had to borrow money to pay my bills. We had gotten tired of 
the continuous fight on the county seat. Burwell folks raised about $1,200 
to use in the election in 1889 and came over to see some of our friends. 
They sent them to me. I told them if they would give me a lot in Burwell 
and mow my store onto it and would provide for W. Z. Todd and Geo. Gill, 
I'd quit. They agreed to it. Todd and Gill were moved over and my 
goods and building were also moved. Then the election returns showed 
Burwell to be victorious. 

"The result of the fight was disastrous to me. I was compelled to sell 
out at 75c on the dollar and eventually lost my home also. One part of the 
county never went back on me — Erina, and I never lost a cent by them, 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OP GARFIELD COUNTY 



169 



Bless the people of Erina. May they always prosper." 

Burwell is the only town of consequence in Garfield county. It may in 
a way be said to be the outgrowth of "The Porks" postoffice, located down 
near the old mill on the river road. The townsite lies at a bend in the river 
not far from the point where the Calamus blends its waters witli the eddy- 
ing - North Loup. 



-■ft 



NELSON 



i 



=& 



K 
CO 


X. 


1 


J 


-1 




e ' t 


■s 




y *■ 


* e 




w 


V 




11 


ft 




X 








, 



-fi.- 


i 1 




H _L J. 1 


.•» — 




J L= 


E Gp 

'J /pi 



1 z 

■f 3 

S i> 6 
s C y_ 

£ » 




B LU FF 



CO 

en 




| 


Jti 






/ 


U4 


I 

u 


! 






A 









ST 




r 
1 




4 


6 







ST. 



Plat of Burwell Showing "Public Octagon," which has been Disfigured by Euilding upon 
it, and the Streets meeting the Square at the Middle of the Sides. 

As to the origin of the name there are several stories told, more or less 
reliable. One has it that it was given to perpetuate the name of a certain 
young woman, the betrothed of one of the Webster family platting the 
town, but who died before the nuptials could be solemnized. The writer 
will not, however, vouch for the truth of this rather romantic christening. 

The town was platted by Prank Webster on his home farm and was for 
many years "Webster's town. " This gentleman's ideas of what an ideal 
townsite ought to be were certainly remarkable and may best be understood 
by a glance at the erection of the public square. This is very large, but 
instead of being approachable by streets intersecting at its far corners, 
they approach it as bisectors of the four sides. 

Even this would not have been so bad had the inside plat of ground 
been dedicated to the city as presumably first intended. When Mr. Webs- 
ter later sold his interests to the Burwell Townsite Company it appeared 
that the inside of the square had not been so dedicated. Accordingly he 
began selling this in parcels for building purposes. A protest and threat 
on the part of the townsite company led to a compromise and a division of 
lots on the "inside square." This unfortunately has for ajl t,ime spoiled 
t,he appearance of the public square ; 



170 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



The first store building; at Burwell was that of Wm. N. Becker & Co. 
This was in 1883. Alfred A. Graber soon followed with a small hardware 
store. Almost at the same time Prank Webster commenced building. A 
very few residences were added and we have Burwell's embryo. In 1884 
Garfield county was created and the governor of Nebraska made Burwell 




Home of D. S. Beynon at Burwell. 

the temporary county seat. Frank Webster's store became the depository 
for the official records and documents. Here the .temporary county gov- 
ernment met. Then came the county seat troubles and Webster's store was 
for a time the objective point in the operations, 

A. A. Graber et al's writ of mandamus was overturned by the very 
court which had granted it and Willow Springs was declared the county 
seat. This made the Burwellites pretty glum for a time. But the gloom 
was not to last long, for in 1887 the B. & M. commenced building up the 
Valley. The old rival was overthrown utterly and was only too glad "to 
move ovpt" and become a part of the new county seat. As if by magic 
Willow Springs residences and stores left their "anchorage" and in an in- 
credibly short time became a part of Burwell. Thus the town grew at a 
moderate pace and had a population of 150 wh^n the decade of general 
prosperity closing with 1890 terminated. During the next ten years its 
progress was not marked. In fact between 1890 and 189H it experienced a 
considerable set-back. The remaining four years of the decade were spent 
in getting the town back on a normal footing. 

In 1900, and more particularly since 1903, Burwell has made good 
strides onward. In the latter year the town had less than 500 inhabitants; 
now it is almost 700. Four years ago there was hardly a modern house on 



THE FURTHER HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY 



171 



the townsite; now on the other hand, as so aptly illustrated in the cuts in 
this chapter, Burwell boasts a surprisingly large number of very fine houses. 




Beautiful Home of Robert Wicks, Burwel 

Excellent cement sidewalks are rapidly displacing the old wooden struc- 
tures. A new eight-room school building was completed in the fall of 1003 




Comfortable Home of Mr. Cram. Burwell. 

at a cost of $10,000. The city owns its own waterworks system, and a pri- 
vate corporation furnishes an ample supply of acetelyne gas to light the 



172 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

streets and homes of all who desire it. It is safe to prophecy that Bur-well 
will continue to prosper and to grow. By degrees the sand-hills to the 
north will be reclaimed to fruitfulness and the town's territory will as 
gradually become more and more populated. 

Garfield county is in main a grazing district, well adapted to raising 
cattle and sheep. The Loup Valley part of the county alone is tit for true 
agriculture. But the despised sand-hills will yet be the making of the 
county. Alfalfa grows well in the draws ana lowlands. Bromegrass and 
English bluegrass will soon spread their green, succulent mantle from hill 
to hill and make this one of the richest hay producing belts in the entire 
country. Such is pretty sure to be the future of Garfield county. 

STATISTICS. 

Population (1903) , 2,800 

Area 576 sq. mi. 

Miles of railway 4.17 

Best tillable lard $25.00 to $60.00 

Pair tillable land $15.00 to $25.00 

Hay and pasture land $4.00 to $6 00 

DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS.* 

Range 13. 
T. 21. North half and southwest sixth mostly level, fertile: rest roll- 
ing, fair soil. 

T. 22. Cedar valley, quite sandy; rest sand hills and hay flats. 
T. 23. Southwest quarter Cedar valley, sandy, but tillable; rest sand 
hills with few hay valleys. 

T. 24. Northeast quarter rolling, mostly tillable; rest sand hills and 
hay flats. 

Range 14. 

T. 21. Rolling, fertile; mostly tillable. 
T. 22. Mostly sand hills; some fertile land in south third. 
T. 23. Sand hills and hay flats. 

T. 24. Cedar valley, fertile; about four sections on north, sand hills. 

Range 15. 

T. 21. Southwest half in North Loup valley, fertile; rest quite roll- 
ing, mostly fertile. 

T. 22. South half rolling, fertile; north half sand hils and hay valleys. 

T. 23. Sand hills and hay valleys; some shallow lakes. 

T. 24. Cedar valley, fertile; rest fair, rolling land, interspersed with 
sand hills. 

Range 16. 

T. 21. Nurth Luup valley, fertile; rest very rolling, fertile. 

T. 22. Southwest quarter mostly tillable; rest sand hills and hay val- 
leys. 

T. 23. Sand hills and hay valleys. 

T. 24. Sand hills and hay valleys. 

? JProjn the bylletip of t,he bureau of Labor, lincolp, ]^ebr„ 1^)02, 



Loup County and Its Possibilities. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Thy spreading fields are yielding recompense for honest toil, 

Nebraska, dear Nebraska. 
The smile of God is beaming ever on thy fertile soil. 

Nebraska, dear Nebraska. 
Once the dainty golden-rod peeped above the virgin sod. 

Where today we see the beet leaves green and curled. 
Grain and cattle from thy fields nature's richest bounty yields. 

And Nebraska, our Nebraska, feeds the world. 

Will M. Maupin. 

LOUP COUNTY was settled in 1874. The first settlers to trail the 
Loup beyond the Garfield county settlement and squat within the 
confines of Loup county were Rodney P. Alger, John R. Goff, D. L. Bowen, 
B. J. Harvey, A. M. Gurnsey and Win. Burns with their families. A few 
months later, when work on Fort HartsufT was begun, a number of addition 
al families became temporary dwellers within the limits of the territory. 

In the spring of 1875 an Indian scare seized the outlying farmsteads; 
the growing crops were abandoned and the whole community assembled in 
the little, well known park on R. P. Alger's farm, and there erected tem- 
porary abodes. For greater security a stockade was erected and dubbed 
"Fort Rodney," in honor of Rodney P. Alger. The Indians, however, did 
not appear and shortly all the staunch-hearted among the settlers returned 
to their abandoned homes; a few timid ones only left the country for good. 

Fort Harts tiff was soon afterwards completed and the colony freed from 
any further Indian experiences. 

In the summer of 1876 and the following spring the colony was further 
increased by the a? rival of the Rushos, T. W. Williams, D. A. Gard and 
G. C. Snyder, all with their families. These arrivals settled near where 
Kent and Taylor are now located. 

During the winter of 1876-'77 A. M. Gurnsey succeeded in getting a 
special postoffice established. Mr. Gurnsey was appointed postmaster and 
the office named Kent. For a time the mail was carried by volunteers who 
took turn about making the trip down to The Forks and back. 

Grand Island, one hundred miles to the south, was in those days the 
nearest railroad connection. Thither did the settlers have to go for most 
of their necessaries of life. During the first few years of scant crops it was 
a common thing for the settlers to cart ox-loads of cedar posts alt the way 



174 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



to York and Butler counties— a round trip of fully 300 miles— to exchange 
the same for flour, groceries and other necessaries of life. Ten days to 
three weeks were counted necessary to make the trip; and during all this 
time the hardy freighter was subject to the discomforts and hardships oc- 




Old Precinct Map of Loup County. 

casioned by the uncertainty of weather conditions- swollen and unfordable 
streams, sudden storms, and the like. 

"During the summer of 77," says David Gard, '-we were all so busy 
breaking prairie and putting j n crops, that no one had time to make a trip 
to the nearest grist mill, which was then fifty miles down the valley. For 
a while we accordingly ground our corn and wheat on hand coffee-mills." 

The first school district was organized in 1876 under the jurisdiction of 
Valley county, where Rev. Oscar Babcock was at that time county superin- 
tendent. The district, which was designated as No. 9, was very large, con- 



LOUP COUNTY AND ITS POSSIBILITIES 175 

taining more than thirty square miles. A sod house with dirt roof and 
stamped clay floor was erected on section 36, T. 21, R. 18. Rose Harvey 
was the first teacher employed to teach here, and her first term was only 
three months long. 

The first general store in the county was opened by A. Kitzmiller at 
Kent in 1880. He was obliged to haul all of his merchandise from St. Paul, 
which point the Union Pacific Railroad had now reached. 

Time passed and other families were added to the list already men- 
tioned. There were A S. Moon, David McCord. Thomas Croughwell, 
William A. Clark, Jacob and Wesley Strohl, William Forbes, Henry Copp, 
John Burlingham, William Thomas, B. S. Sawyer, George Spangler, John 
Abbott, George Craven, Charles Copper, John Wheeler, George Abbott, 
Calvin L. Copp, Stephen Roblyer, Wesley Rains, H. Dunbar, Mrs. Phoebe 
Glover, and many others. 

Loup county was at this time a part of the unorganized territory. As 
the population continued to increase it became expedient to organize the 
county. This was accomplished in the spring of 1883. The temporary 
county seat was placed at Kent with David Gard as temporary clerk. The 
first election was held May 3d of that year and resulted as follows: Clerk, 
F. H. Sawyer; Treasurer, Joseph Rusho; Judge, B. J. Harvey; Sheriff, 
Arthur C Alger; Surveyor, A. J. Roblyer; Superintendent, A. S. Moon; 
Commissioners, G. W. Strohl, N. E. Fay and H. L. Reniff. 

Next came the inevitable strife for the location of the permanent county 
seat. Kent lay too far east to be considered in the race. But Taylor, Al- 
meria, and Clark's Point were all eager to land the plum. None of these 
places had been platted, but that mattered but little in those days Locate 
the county seat and the town would spring up! Taylor lay very close to 
the center of population and was a logical claimant. Almt-ria became a 
dangerous rival because Kent might be expected to throw her support to a 
town as far away as possible from her own zone of influence. For Taylor 
once the county seat would mean death to ambitious little Kent. So it 
came about that the election was very close. Indeed Taylor won out by 
just two votes majority over Almeria. 

Taylor was staked off on a farm belonging to and adjoining the home- 
stead of Joseph Rusho. The original site contained 32 blocks, of which 
No. 13 was set aside as a public square. 

The first store opened was that of Otto Witte, who carried a stock of 
groceries and drugs. This was very early in 1884. In a short time two ad- 
ditional stores opened. George Cleveland put in groceries and hardware 
and E. H. Snow, dry goods, boots and shoes. But these ventures were not 
to be permanent accessions to the town; they soon tired and left for more 
promising fields. The first permanent business house to become estab- 
lished at Taylor was that of Wheeler & Scott, which is still doing business 
under the name uf George F. Scutt. Half a decade later Taylor boasted 
five general stores, two banks, two hotels, two livery stables, two newspa- 
pers and many other business places. Many of those were built on the ex- 



176 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



oectancy of getting an extension of the B. & M. which had reached Bur- 
well in 1887. But. alas! Ta.ylor was doomed to bitter disappointment and 
is to this day an inland town. 

The dry years were hard on Loup county and her towns. Almeria, 




where G. W. Strohl and Fred Hoellworth had opened a general store, man- 
aged to hold her own and live through the crisis. Kent by degrees dwin- 
dled down till in 1905 there is nothing left but the postoffice, and this 



LOUP COUNTY AND ITS POSSIBILITIES 



177 



too will no doubt soon be discontinued. Taylor saw her banks close their 
doors for lack of business, and some of her business houses removed, 
stock, buildings and all. But here, as elsewhere, the tide turned in time, 
and today the town is slowly rallying from the staggering blow. A new 
bank has just opened its doors to business and the stores are all doing a 
thriving business. Geo. F. Scott and Rusho Bros, are carrying large 
stocks of general merchandise, George P. Emig has a first-class drugstore, 
Joseph Rusho a complete line of hardware. J. G. Wirsig is proprietor of 
the Loup County News and a thriving implement business. Joseph Kriegel 
has built up an excellent business in harness, saddles and trunks. The 
Taylor Clarion, the oldest newspaper in the [county, is edited by E. An- 
drews. Everything considered, Taylor business men have cause to feel 
encouraged. The territory from which they draw their trade is rapidly de- 
veloping, and with the increase in population which is sure to come 
the town is bound to grow. Taylor has from the beginning been handi- 
capped because it is an inland town. Several times it has looked as though 
the B. & M. would extend to it, but it has always ended in disappointment. 
First, when the Burlington built to Burwell in 1887, Taylor expected to get 
the line. Then when the same system extended up through Custer county 
the town became hopeful again. But this extension crossed the southwest 
corner of the county, passing south of Taj lor and missing Almeria just 
four miles. Even now the situation is not hopeless. Two years ago a sur- 
vey was made from Burwell up through the valley and Taylor may yet get 
a connecting line between the Garfield and Custer county branches. 

Loup county is in many respects a remarkable county. It is chiefly a 
grazing district, well adapted for the raising of cattle, horses and sheep. 
But at least forty per cent is made up of good tillable lands. The value of 
the county live stock is esti- 
mated at $500,000. This will 
increase rapidly hereafter. 
Alfalfa, bromegrass, and Eng- 
lish bluegrass are even now on 
the point of revolutionizing 
the cattle industry. When 
such remarkable grasses shall 
have had time to clothe the" 
sand-hills with their mantle of 
green, these decried sections 
will become a source of untold Hog Ranch in Loup County - 

wealth to the county; indeed they will be the making of a great and pros- 
perous county. It is surprising how well fruit trees grow in the county. 
Some of the apple orchards in the valley and on the higher benches to the 
south can scarcely be excelled by any in the state. It is an eye-opener to 
the Easterner to see such orchards as are grown by L. F. Ruppel and others 
in this county. Since the passage of the Kinkaid homestead law, every 
section of land in the county has been snapped up and land is steadily in- 



%.**.- 




178 



THE TRAIL OE THE LOUP 



creasing in value, To have land holdings in Loup county is now to be 
fortunate. 

STATISTICS. 

Population (1903) 1,700 

Area 576 sq. mi. 

Best tillable land $25.00 to $55.00 

Fair tillable land $10.00 to $20.00 

Rich hay land $20.00 to $25.00 

Pasture land $3.00 to $6.00 

DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS.* 

Range 17. 
T. 21. North Loup valley; rest rolling; all fertile. 
T. 22. Calamus valley, fertile in part; rest rough grazing land. 
T. 23. Rough, sandy grazing land. 
T. 24. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

Range 18. 

T. 21. North Loup valley, three miles wide, fertile; rest rolling, fer- 
tile. 

T. 22. Rough; few farms in south, rest grazing land. 

T. 23. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

T. 24. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

Range 19. 

T. 21. North Loup valley, three miles wide; rest roiling; good soil. 

T. 22. North Loup valley, over two miles wide, fertile; rest rough. 

T. 23. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

T. 24. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

Range 20. 

T. 21. Rough, sandy soil, used for farming and grazing land. 

T. 22. Rough, sandy soil, used for farming and grazing land; Loup 
valley. 

T. 23. Loup valley in southwest, tillable; rest rough grazing land. 

T. 24. Rough, sandy grazing land. 

*Fiom the Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor, Liucoln, Nebr., 1902 



Scotia and Her Builders. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Behind the scared squaw's birch canoe 

The steamer smokes and raves; 
And city lots are staked for sale 

Above all Indian graves. 

— Whittier, The Genius of the West. 

WE HAVE already learned in Chapter VI. how the committee of the 
Seventh Day Baptists reached the chalk hills in Greeley county, 
opposite Scotia, on the last day of October, 1871, and laid claim to the 
southern bank of the North Loup river for their constituents back in Wis- 
consin. But they were not the first comers in the Valley after all. For 
the northern bank of the stream was even then in process of settlement. 
In September, before autumn was fairly ushered in, the first band came. 
By handfuls they advanced up the north bank of the Loup through Greeley 
county by the old trail. The beautiful bend in the river where Scotia now 
lies, and immediately across from 'Happy Jack's Look out," charmed them 
and held them fast. Here and up and down the valleys of Fish Creek and 
Wallace Creek they reared their homes and started life anew after their 
weary westward tramp. 

The very first to file on a claim in all Greeley county was Alcie P. Fish 
of Fish Creek, whose papers were executed in October, 1871. About the 
same time the grand old patriarch, William Scott, settled north of Scotia. 
Alza M. Stewart took a claim across the line in Valley county. John G. 
Kellogg, the well known Greeley county bard, and Alonzo Shepard settled 
in the same neighborhood. 

Other early comers in the North Loup valley in this vicinity were 
James Harlow, Daniel Benson, George Babcock, W. Whitford, G. Craig, 
Patrick Coyne, J. J. Bean, David Moore, Horace Moore, Geo. R. Small, 
Fred Housmann, Henry Grosse, Ben Mullenbeck, James L. Wallace, George 
Ferrell, W. Cramer, Wm. Havens, Thos. Townley, Fred Stensby, Frank 
Roberts, Thos. Watson, John Vairy, the Skay and Gray families, John 
Dougherty, Andrew J. Gillespie, Jr., Simon Bilyeu, Jesse Bilyeu, George 
Hillman, Alfred Hillman, John A. Buchan, John V. Alderman. Leslie E. 
Scott, Loring E. Gaffy and Elihu Fish. 

Up Wallace Creek came Joe Littlefield, D. C. Johnson, Henry Calvin, 



180 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 




Elias Walker, Albert Barker, Elias 
Jeffries, Turn Miller, Joe Brown, Geo. 
Rutherford, Geo. Stubblefield, Joseph 
Hamilton, Maurice Johnson and Richard 
Johnson. On Fish Creek settled Fred 
Meyers, David Locker, John Phillips, 
W. Hayden, B. F. Griffith and William 
Halpin. 

Of the old-timers here named only a 
very few arrived in '71. The great ma- 
jority did not come till tne succeeding 
spring and summer and even years later. 
The list contains but three or four who 
professed allegiance to the Seventh- 
Day Baptist Church. The Wisconsin 
colony, as a whole, settled on the south 
side of the river in Town 17, and more 

Alcie Fish, First Settler in Greeley County particularly in Town 18 in Valley COUnty. 

For some five or six years settlement of Greeley county was restricted 
to the southwestern part. The rolling uplands, and Clear Creek and Cedar 
River valleys were not invaded till the spring of 1877. Meanwhile this lit- 
tle handful took measures to organize their county and elect county officials. 
Application was made to Acting Governor Wm. H. James, who issued a 
proclamation ordering an election to be held on the 8th day of October, 
1872. The election was held atLamartine postoffice south of Scotia, where 
Elihu Fish was at that time postmaster. Thirteen votes were cast and the 
following officers elected : Commissioners, A. P. Fish, T. C. Davis and 
Alonzo Shepard; Clerk, E. B. Fish; Treasurer, S. C. Scott; Sheriff, G. W. 
Babcock; Judge, George Hillman; Surveyor, Mansell Davis: Superin- 
tendent, John G. Kellogg; and Coroner, C. H. Wellman. 

The next question of importance to come up for settlement was the in- 
evitable county seat location. This first contest was, however, but a 
friendly rivalry. The county commissioners held a meeting at Lamartine 
postoffice on January 20, 1873, transacting all business incident to the late 
organization of the county, and calling an election for the purpose of select- 
ing a county seat. Said election was ordered to be held February 11, 1873. 
Two points were voted for, namely : The N. W. i of the N. W. i of Section 
23, Town 17, Range 12, and the N. E. i of Section 9, in the same town and 
range. The former location— Lamartine— won out by one vote and became 
the temporary county seat. 

In November, 1874, another election was held. The aim apparently 
was to draw the county seat northward. The two points in contest this 
time were scarcely two miles apart— the N. W. % of the N. E. i of Section 
9, Town 17, Range 17 West, and the N. E. ± of the N. E. i of Section 16 of 
the same town and range. The records show that in the election the 
former place received sixteen votes and the latter ten votes. Thus it came 



SCOTIA AND HEK BUILDERS 



181 



about that Scotia — so named from his old homeland by Sam (J. Scott — was 
made the county seat. 

For a long time there was really no town. In the fall of 1875 a small 
court house was built. This humble structure was also used for school 
purposes. Thus we are told that Mrs. E. Craig used to hold school here 
in the same room where the county clerk would be busy over his records. 
Judge John J. Bean located at Scotia in May of 1876 and commenced the 




,ss j;e 



Old Precinct Map of Greeley County. Showing Scotia and Vicinity. 

construction of a hotel. The same vear Sam Scott moved the postoffice to 
town from his farm and relinquished it to Mr. Bean, who was regularly ap- 
pointed postmaster in January, 1877. In October of that year E. O. Bart- 
lett and A. B. Lewis, two enterprising young business men from St. Paul, 
Howard county, established the Greeley Tribune, which did much to adver- 
tise the county and town. The first general merchandise store was opened 
by W. H. West of Grand Island, under the management of Ed Wrigtit, in 



182 



THE TRAIL OP THE LOUP 




March, 1878. The railways were beginning to exploit their lands in the 
North Platte country rather freely by this time. To further this end the 

B. & M. in Nebraska built a small im- 
migrant house at Scotia. This home 
was in charge of the kind and public- 
spirited David Moore, one of the men 
who never lost faith in the possibili- 
ties of the beautiful Loup. 

So far the village was a straggling, 
haphazard affair. But tbis same year, 
1878, Lee L. Doane platted the site 
and a systematic though slow growth 
commenced. In 1881 the population 
was yet under one hundred. The 
business houses were few though 
these few had a good trade. 
Plat of Scotia. Just now too a cloud was rising on 

the horizon of Scotia's prosperity. Men of foresight had seen it coming 
for some time. It was again the same old question of county seat location. 
For some years the county had been rapidly filling up with settlers. Could 
Scotia then hope indefinitely to retain the county seat? Many realized 
that it would oniy be a question of time when some more centrally located 
town would rise as an aspirant for the honors. And the first mutterings of 
trouble came in December, 1881, when O'Connor commenced a contest. But 
let us go back for a glimpse of the settlement of Greeley county at large. 

The first settler near the center of the county, so far as we know, was 
James L. Reed, who came in 1876. The next soring an Irishman by the 
name of Patrick Hynes arrived and became local agent for the Irish Cath- 
olic colonization association just then in its conception. General O'Neill 
seems to have been the originator of the plan which was no more nor less 
than to buy up vast tracts of land in Greeley and neighboring counties, 
which were to be colonized with his countrymen, both from the States and 
from old Ireland. 25,000 acres were purchased near the center of the 
county, and it was not long till some twenty Irish families were located on 
the land through the energetic Patrick Hynes. Other colonies sprang up 
in Cedar Valley and further north as far as Erina in Garfield county. The 
movement was organized for more than patriotic motives. Wherever Irish- 
men settle in numbers they will cluster around their church and parochial 
schools. The present case was no exception to this rule. Men high in 
ecclesiastical circles were from the first interested in the scheme. This 
was particularly true of the Right Rev. James O'Connor, Catholic Bishop 
at that time of Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. 

This great churchman was born in Ireland, September 10, 1823, and 
came to America in 1838. He was educated at Philadelphia and at the Col- 
lege of Propaganda, Rome. There he was ordained March 25, 1848, by the 
great Cardinal Franconi and soon after he returned to America, entering the 



SCOTIA AND HER BUILDERS 



183 




<_/6t. 



diocese of Pittsburg, where he had charge of St. Michael's Theological 
Seminary for some years. He was also administrator of the diocese for a 
year. Then he was given charge of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary at 
Philadelphia for ten years. Later he was consecrated Bishop of Debona, 
and Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska, August 26, 
1876. The same year he took up his residence 
at Omaha, where he established Creighton Uni- 
versity, the Academy of the Sisters of Mercy, 
the Boarding Schools of the Ladies of the Sa- 
cred Heart and a number of parochial schools. 

General O'Neill and John McCreary platted 
a town near the heart of the Irish land grant in 
November, 1877, and called it O'Connor in honor 
of the bishop. For some reason this site was 
never used and a new town of the same name 
was later — August, 1880 — built only three and 
a half miles away on a site selected by the 
bishop himself. The town grew rapidly. Patrick 
Hynes opened the first store in October, and two months later Lanagan 
Brothers opened the second store. An imposing church edifice and paro- 
chial school buildings soon followed. R. H. Clayton established the O'Con- 
nor Democrat early in 1882, and a systematic agitation for the rights of that 
part of the county took its beginning. 

The census of 1880 gave Greeley county a population of 1461, many of 
whom had to travel 25 miles or more to reach the county seat. Dissatisfac- 
tion with existing conditions grew with an increase in upper county popu- 
lation. Finally the county board felt constrained to call a new election. 

This was held December 6, 1881, and 
resulted, O'Connor 196, Scotia 171, and 
the county poor farm, 33. Fortunately 
for Scotia a two-thirds majority was re- 
quired for removal and the county'seat 
was for the time being saved. 

In 1883, the Union Pacific built its 
spur into town and confidence was again 
restored, for was not Scotia the only 
railroad town in the county? Matters 
now moved along at an even tenor till 
1887. The town grew slowly but surely. 
Then, like a thunderclap from a clear 
sky, came the news that the B. & M. 
had commenced to build across the 
county, apparently through O'Connor. 
This was bad news indeed for Scotia. 
David Moore of Scotia. Everyone realized what it meant. But 

while Scotia was sorely disappointed she could hardly have expected any- 




184 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



thing else; another town, which for the moment was jubilant in visions of 
coming prosperity was, however, destined to an even sadder fate — this was 
O'Connor. Located in its beautiful, winding valley this town was on the 
logical line of the new road. The railroad authorities must also have been 
of this opinion for grading camps were established near the town and work 
actually commenced. The inhabitants were unfortunately too confident in 
their new position. They argued that the road could impossibly go else- 
where and were altogether too slow to meet the railroad's demand for 
right-of-way, station site and the like. The upshot of it all was that the 
grading camps were all abandoned and moved into the hills to the south. 
A committee with full power to grant every request made by the railroad 
was now sent hot haste to Lincoln. But to remonstrate and beseech was 
now in vain. O'Connor awoke too late. The B. & M. built a new town at 
a few miles distance, and called it Greeley Center. This town the Burling- 
ton system, with its old-time shrewdness for organization, decided upon as 
the political center of the new county and straightway formulated its plans. 
Scotia made one more desperate effort to hold her own. This 
came in the form of a gift to the county of a new court house built by 

Scotia Precinct at a cost of 
$5,000.00. This was in 1887. 
The very next year the bitter 
struggle recommenced. The 
O'Connor constituency, still 
smarting from unhealed wounds, 
joined hands with Scotia and had 
the satisfaction to see Greeley's 
aspirations for the time defeated. 
But in the fall of 1890 the end 
came. Greeley Center won in 
the election and became the 
county seat. Considerable ill 
feeling and even personal ani- 
mosity was engendered during 
these years. But these differences are how happily being forgotten. 
Neither faction could really be blamed. It is natural, ,1 am sorry to say, in 
times like the above, for personal desires and gains to get away with one's 
better heart-promptings. But, as said, Greeley county is again getting 
united, and the less these old rifts be stirred the better for all concerned. 

Scotia stood face to face with hard times. She had lost her chief point 
of prestige. The new court house stood empty and many prominent fami- 
lies left for Greeley Center. Her population decreased seriously. But she 
had staunch hearts in her midst. These stood by the old town during the 
hard years and never lost courage. The court house was turned into a 
Normal and Business College and did well till some untoward circum- 
stances forced ib too to close down. Then came abundant crops and Scotia 
rallied, New and modern homes are going up throughout the town ; her 




Four Generations of the Hillman Family. 

Mrs. Blueht. Mrs. Chase. 

Mr. Geo. Hillman. Mrs. Hillman. 

Baby Chase. 



SCOTIA AND HER BUILDERS 185 

population is increasing again. With the remarkably fertile farm districts 
round about her Scotia is bound to become a wealthy residence town with 
time. Her future is assured and the first comers will not have come in vain. 



Harrowing Tales of a Third of a Century. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Then rose a souud of dread, such as startles 

the sleeping encampments 
Far in the western prairies or forests that 

skirt the Nebraska, 
When the wild horses affrighted sweep by 

with the speed of the whirlwind, 
Or the loud bellowing herds of buffaloes rush 

to the river. 

— Longfellow's Evangeline. 

I"N THE course of the years which have melted away since the Valley 
«*■ was first settled many things have transpired of a nature so distressing 
that even now, under the mellowing influence of time, it is hard to read 
them without shuddering. But in the reading our hearts involuntarily go 
out to the heroes and heroines who endured so much and endured so silent- 
ly. The more we learn of their suffering, the more we honor tbem for their 
sacrifice, and the more we rejoice with them in their final triumph. 

Several of these tales have already been narrated in previous chapters, 
and will not bear repetition here. Such were the Great Blizzard of April 
13, 1873, and the Lucust Plague following soon afterward. A few others 
may be added here. The first worthy of notice is the Great Fire of Octo- 
ber 12, 1878. 

To a person who has not actually lived on the frontier and with his 
own eyes beheld a great prairie fire in progress, it is almost hopeless to at- 
tempt to convey a true pictuie of its terrors. The awe inspired as the 
storm wind suddenly hurls great clouds of stifling smoke, mixed with cin- 
ders and burned grass, over the devoted settlement is beyond the descrip- 
tion of pen. Then there is the sudden roar and distant glare; the crack- 
ling and crashing as the fire demon rushes onward; the rush of over-heat- 
ed air ; the distant glare and the final leap of countless tongues of flame 
from the seething, roaring hell-caldron coming on apace. Now, woe to 
the settler who has neglected all precautions for fighting fire, or whose 
guards are not broad and clear! Woe to him who has not prepared for 
the evil hour, for soon destruction will be upon him — the solid, destroying 
phalanx, burning several hundred feet deep, before whose scorching blast 
no living thing can stand! And now listen to what befell our North Loup 
settlements on the 12th day of October, 1878: It was glorious autumn 
weather. Up and down the valley the farmers were at work threshing, 
and otherwise disposing of the bountiful crops of the year. The prairie 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 



187 



grass was deep and matted, the growth of two seasons. It was dry as tin- 
*der arid needed but a spark to start a conflagration. The tanners had on 
this account taken great care to throw up ample fire guards around their 
possessions. 

But what protection are guards when the very air seems to be on fire! 
For several days fires had been burning on the Middle Loup to the west. 
At night the lurid glare was distinctly reflected on the peaceful sky. 

On the eventful day as time advanced a breeze set in from the soutli- 
west. By degrees it increased in power till it blew a veritable gale. The 
wind swerved gradually to the west and by evening blew from the north; 
this fortunate circumstance alone saved the Garfield county settlements 




Advent of the Prairie Fire. (From a Kodak Picture Taken by Ina Draver.) 

from destruction. Mira Valley lay immediately in the path of th^ fire-fiend 
and was the first to suffer. Here, in one p ace, three voung men, Albert 
Cottrell, and William and Morris Greene, were at work building a sod- 
house. Before they had time to realize their danger the conflagration was 
bearing down upon them. There was no time to backfire. Their only hope 
was refuge in flight. But, alas! what is human speed when measured with 
the fire fiend let loose' They were all quickly overtaken; and with a cry 
of despair threw themselves face downward, as the tongues of flame leaped 
and swerved round about their victims. From this bed Albert Cottrell 
was never to rise — he was burned to a crisp. The Green boys were more 
fortunate and lived through the terrible experience, though fearfully 
burned, And to the end of their lives will they bear the scars of the fire 



188 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

upon their bodies. Onward, across Mira Valley the lire swept, licking up 
hay stacks, leaping protecting guards, burning 1 dwelling houses and out- 
buildings. In many instances the unfortunate inmates had barely time to 
reach some plot of plowed ground before the fire was upon them. 

Mrs. John Luke, then a mere girl, saw the fire and in time sought a 
place of refuge. In several directions could she see burning property. 
On the farmstead where she chanced to be all the out-buildings were de- 
stroyed; the very pigs in their pens were roasted alive. At last the fire 
burst through the hills and rolled down into the river valley. At Dan 
Merritt's place it swept right through the stubble field and devoured a new 
threshing outfit, which the many farmers present were unable to save. 
George W. Larkin, living near the present day Olean, had just complet- 
ed a comfortable log house. 250 bushels of wheat, all his previous yield, 
had just been stored away. Everything was consumed — house, barn, im- 
plements, grain and fodder. Mr. Larkin barely saved himself by falling 
prostrate onto the plowed ground. Heman A. Babcock lost practically 
everything he had, buildings, fodder and stock. As the deluge swept by 
Oscar Babcock's place his son E. J. Babcock had just time to leap into the 
protecting waters of Mira Creek. Judson Davis lost all his grain. At 
Jessie Worth's place practically everything of value was destroyed. 
And so the story might be lengthened almost ad injinitem. 

North of Ord conditions were scarcely any better. On Nels Ander- 
sen's farm another threshing outfit was burned; by desperate work only 
did Mr. Andersen save his home place, though much grain was lost. George 
Miller who was at Andersen's place when the fire became threatening under- 
took the foolhardy feat of outstripping it to his own cabin, a mile distant. 
This came near costing Uncle George dear. Had it not been for a conven- 
ient buffalo-wallow full of water, he would not now be living to tell the 
story. Such tales as these could be told of the Valley from Cotesfield to 
Turtle Creek. No farmstead in its path escaped the awful fire. That night 
beheld the valley scorched and suffering. Smouldering heaps of ruins 
marked here and there all that was left of the personal belongings of many 
a sturdy pioneer. Homes were gone; much cattle ;]the very grain for bread 
— and yet these men did not despair. On the morrow they were again at 
work to keep open the Trail — the Trail! 

The next in chronological order, of these stories is not so far-reaching 
in effect as some others here retold. But it is nevertheless of such a nature 
as to deserve relating. This is the August Hailstorm of 1885. 

Meteorological observations as well as practical experience teach us 
that some localities in the west are more liable to be frequented by hail- 
storms than others. The fertile districts in Nebraska immediately south of 
the great sand hill belt are thus exposed. Any barren, sandy expanse, 
heats and deflects a layer of air more rapidly than does a grassy and well 
protected loess plain. The result of this phenomenon may be observed on 
almost any hot summer day. Layer upon layer of overheated, moist air, 
over the sand hills, will in the .afternoon heat, suddenly begin to expand 



ARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 189 

and rise, forcing lower currents to rush in to fill the vacuum formed. The 
rising, heated current condenses and becomes visible to the eye the moment 
upper, cooler currents are encountered. These we know as cumulus or 
thunderhead clouds. If the evaporation does not chance to be very extreme, 
an afternoon thunderstorm and rainfall may result; but. in case the day has 
been intensely hot, the evaporation may become violent, and the upward 
rush of air so rapid as to create great disturbance in the upper cloud re- 
gions. A churning together of the hot and cold currents causes a rapid con- 
densation of the moisture of the former into raindrops. These in turn 
freeze and are hurled around by a strange rotary motion now ensuing, 
growing ever larger as they receive coat upon coat of freezing muisture. 

In our valley we may expect to find the surface currents blowing from 
the south on such a day as here in question. At the same time the upper 
currents, by degrees, begin a southward movement to fill the vacuum there 
formed. For a moment before the storm breaks all wind ceases. This is 
when the so called balance point in the opposing current is reached. As 
the upper current overbalances the lower the storm breaks. Now its ad- 
vance is usually marked by a long roll of horizontally revolving cloud- 
mass, from which showers of hailstones are precipitated to the ground as 
soon as these have grown large enough to overcome the centripetal force 
of the cloud itself. 

It stands to reason that, in time, as the sand hills become more stable 
and receive a heavier matting of vegetation, these destructive storms will 
become less and less frequent. 

August 5, 1885, was a hot and sultry day in the Valley. In the fore- 
noon, and again in the afternoon the barometer acted in a most erratic way. 
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon great cloud masses began towering up on 
the northern horizon. That this betokened an unusual storm soon became 
apparent to all. A strange activity was shown by the way the cloud 
masses parted, moving in opposite directions— west and south— only later 
to retrace the first course, to come together a few miles above Ord. Here 
the horizontal roller cloud was formed, and came rushing down the valley. 
As it rolled on, dark and lowering, it seemed but a few hundred feet from 
the ground. With a roar the wind came out of the cloud, blowing at a ter- 
rific rate. Hailstones of enormous size were carried almost horizontally 
through space, so strong was the wind. For twenty long minutes all 
created things trembled under the fury of the storm. Outdoors all was de- 
struction: indoors the roar of the storm was deafening. The howling of 
wind, the crashing: of breaking window panes, the ripping of timbers torn 
made a veritable bedlam. When all was over ruin almost beyond descrip- 
tion opened to one's gaze. 

Not alone had the growing crops been hammered into the ground, but 
even the trees were stripped of leaves and branches, yes, the very bark was 
hammered into a pulp. To this day— after 20 years— may scars be seen 
uoon the trees sufficiently strong to live through the storm. The story of 



190 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

the catastrophe is well told in the Orel Quiz of August 9, 1885, and runs as 
follows: 

"Wednesday afternoon a threatening storm gathered in the north. It 
seemed to be drifting rapidly to the west, but about 5 o'clock it was met by 
another storm from the west. They met in the valley ten or twelve miles 
from Ord, and came tearing down upon us at a terrific rate. The storm 
burst upon the town at 5:40 and lasted 20 minutes. The wind amounted to 
a hurricane, the rain fell in torrents and hail of the regulation hen's egg 
variety fell. The ground was covered with hail. Every exposed window — 
which means all north and east windows — regardless of awnings, shutters 
and screens, were beaten out; tin roofs were perforated and torn loose; 
nearly all north and east shingle roofs are ruined; trees are stripped of 
their leaves and battered and beaten beyond recovery, and there is nothing 
left of other vegetation. So much for the town. 

'•The extent of the destruction, however, does not seem to be general. 
At this writing it seems tnat very serious damage was done from only five 
or six miles above Ord, to three miles below. Toward Mira Valley damage 
extended no farther than Mr. Shinn's place, and in Springdale the limit of 
the damage seems to be at Mr. Coffin's place. 

"The damage in the business portion of the town was sustained chiefly 
on the south and west sides of the square. A fair estimate of the damage 
on these sides is about as follows: 

Cleveland Bros. , store $350.00 

F. A. Witte 250.00 

Wolf & Ehlebe . . , 200.00 

Miss Day, millinery 100.00 

P. W. Weaver 200.00 

Quiz Office 50.00 

Perry & Stover 300.00 

Dr. Bickford, residence and store. . 500.00 

A. S. Martin 250.00 

C. C. Wolf 50.00 

D. C. Way 150.00 

G W. Milford 250.00 

Woodbury & Mortensen block 400.00 

Mortensen & Babcoek 50.00 

The First National Bank 100.00 

Coffin & Clements' office 50.00 

B. C. White, store and residence 400.00 

W. J. Lloyd, stock 40.00 

J. S. Bussell, bank building 100.00 

W. T. Barstow, building 75.00 

H. A. Walker 75.00 

A. M. Robbins 75.00 

Linton Bros., livery 200.00 

Hotel America 500.00 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 191 

"The chief losses on the north and east side of the square are : 

D. C. Bell, yard and dwelling $200.00 

Frank Misko, shop 100.00 

D. J. Martz "' 5 - 00 

, Odd Fellows' Building 100.00 

Sorensen ..& Williams 350.00 

"The balance of the buildings on those sides of the square are dam- 
aged mostly to the extent of the roofs. The loss on the other 300 buildings 
in town will average $50 each. 

"It is a hard blow to Ord, but the extent of the storm being so limited 
it will not interfere with the trade to any considerable extent, the chief 
damage being the actual damage to property here. Had the crops of the 
whole county been ruined the loss in a business way would have been irre- 
parable, but as trade will undoubtedly continue brisk, business men are in- 
clined to look upon their losses optimistically. 

"Our special reporter at Calamus reports that place in a worse condi- 
tion than Ord. The new frame school house is a total wreck, including the 
foundation. Mr. McCaslin's house was torn to pieces and his wife and 
children were nearly killed. The windmill and smaller buildings at the 
fort were leveled. Will Duby's large new house was lifted, turned half way 
around and set down again. J. V. Alderman's splendid grove and nursery 
is nearly ruined. A mile north of Calamus no damage was done. 

"Elton Cheesebrough lost one hundred young pigs. 

"Bailey Bros.' cattle were stampeded and men were hunting them u;j yesterday. Two 
head of cattle were found dead in the yards. 

"Charley Parks h*d 50 acre a of fine oats uncut which were leveled to the ground. 
"Lightning struck the rods and chimney of the public school building, but the damage 
was confined to these objects 

"Mr. R. Collmgwood, of Sargent Bluff, Iowa, an old man. was crossing the small bridge 
southeast of town just as the storm struck him. He had a neavy load of lumber. The team 
became unmanageable and refused to face the storm. They turned with the storm and ran 
over the abrupt bank by Haskell's old brick yard, falling fully twenty-five feet. Mr. Colling- 
wood's arm was crushed and the team badly injured. His family is in Iowa. 

"The storm seemed to gather somewhere near W. B Keown's place. The hail there 
was not heavy but the wind was furious. It totally wrecked his tine new barn and badly dam- 
aged his residence. 

"Fred Dowhower says his crops are unhurt. 

"Damage on Haskell Creek w,as light and Elm < 'reek escaped entirely. 
"Dave Quackenbush's buildings were blown down and one horse killed. 
".Tens Jensen lost a horse in the storm. He does not know what killed it. 
"J. A. Ollis' building was blown down. In this part of Mira Valley damage by hail was 
done, though it was not so serious as around Ord. 

"Comparatively little damage was done by hail on Haskell Creek at Lounsbary's and 
none beyond there. Plain Valley, Rose Valley and Bean Creek all escaped." 

Barely a month had passed since the hailstorm struck Valley county, 
when another storm of a tornadolike nature struck the already badly shat- 
tered Ord and vicinity. Such an impression did the great hailstorm and 
this new windstorm of the evening of September 11 leave upon the minds of 
our people that for years to come they could not behold the uprolling of a 



192 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

stormcloud without a feeling of uneasiness creeping over them. This storm 
is described in the Quiz in the following language: 

"Last week, Friday evening, the elements were in an exceedingly un- 
settled condition, but aside from the quickly changing sky and the swift 
coming and going of flurries of clouds nothing noteworthy was visible. At 
dusk a long narrow cloud extending from the western to the northern hori- 
zon appeared in the northwest, but no one gave more than passing notice 
to it, and each one in our busy little city went to his home thinking, if he 
thought of the storm at all. that it was over. But at 10:20, suddenly, with- 
out a moment's warning, a cyclone burst upon us from the southwest. Its 
fearful fury was spsnt in an instant, but that instant meant sad destruction 
to property. The destructive whirlwind dashed through our town and was 
followed instantly bv a heavy gale from the northwest. As soon as the 
frightened people recovered from the shock, and safety permitted it they 
ventured out with lanterns to learn the extent of the damage and render 
assistance if needed. The Baptist church was leveled to the ground in ir- 
reparable ruin. The skating rink was swept away with the exception of 
the foundation. The roof was hurled against Wentworth's carpenter shop 
knocking the northwest corner clear away and wrecking the building badly. 
Very serious damage was done to the court house walls. With the excep- 
tion of the corners, they were leveled as far down as the basement. The 
little building near O. S. Haskell's brick yard was blown into the nver 
bodily. It was occupied at the time by three of Mr. Haskell's hands, all of 
whom escaped from the building during its passage to the river without in- 
jury excepting Frank Rogers, who was struck by a board, dislocating and 
slightly fracturing his elbow. 

"Finding that no good could be accomplished by traversing the town 
our people at last went to rest anxious to see what new ruins the light of 
day might disclose. Of course much damage was done to buggies, sheds, 
etc., all frail buildings suffering a greater or less degree of injury. 

"It was hoped that the damage was mostly confined to the town, but 
the next day and for a few days following reports of damage have kept 
coming in from all points in the track of the storm. The storm seems to 
have commenced its destruction in the neighborhood of Judge Laverty's 
farm in Geranium Tuwnship, whose house and contents were totally de- 
stroyed. His sick son was fortunately kept from getting wet, though Mrs. 
Laverty received a severe blow from some heavy piece of furniture. 

"It would be almost impossible to enumerate the men who lost by the 
storm, for the track was wide. The damage to hay and grain stacks is very 
general in all parts of the county, from Mira Valley north. The last seri- 
uus damage done by the storm reported at this writing was at the house of 
Messrs. Charley Parks and R. Burdick. northeast of town. Their sheds 
and out-buildings were destroyed though fortunately none of the inmates 
were injured. 

"But bad as this and the recent hailstorm were, many places in states 



A Partial View of Ord as it Appeared in 1905. Looking Northwest, North and East. 



SI|fcScdA*;[ 




The above panorama of Ord, the most important town on the North 
Loup river, was taken in August, 1905. Not without justice is the county 
seat of Valley county spoken of as a City of Homes. Beautiful, modern 
dwelling houses, well kopt lawns and gardens, shaded streets, broad ce- 
ment and brick walks all go to make this an ideal home town. Ord is a 
moral town. The licentious element so common in many large places has 



never found a harbor here. It is essentially a town of churches— all the 
leading Protestant denominations being represented. Its schools too rank 
among tiie best in the state. Its intellectual atmosphere is of the very best. 
In industrial lines, too, Ord is on the alert. Her ^business men are pro- 
gressive; her business houses are rapidly becoming modern ; gas and elec- 
tric lights are used and one of the best water plants in the state, sup- 



ply her with cool spring water. Two railroads connect Ord with the 
world and excellent facilities for quick communication with the largest 
stock and produce markets are thus afforded. 

By way of contrast it is interesting to study "Ord in 1887" appearing 
elsewhere in this book, with the above cut. The former picture is that of 
a prairie town, uncouth and unpretending, not a tree in sight, not a tele- 



phone or telegraph post- just an average, western town, with all the thumb- 
marks of hard times upon it -and now, a city of homes and trees, where 
beautiful elms, maples and box-elders threaten soon to hide the houses 
entirely from view. Then Ord numbered a thousand souls, now it num- 
bers more than two thousand strong, with bright prospects for a continued 
growth. 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 193 

east of us have suffered far worse than we have in this most exceptional 
year of storms." 

Several years may now be passed over and we come to 1888 and the 
Historic Blizzard of January 12. No other winter storm in the history of 
our plains, it is safe to say, was ever more destructive than this. For that 
matter the storm was general throughout the whole country, and its chill- 
ing blast was felt from the Rockies to New England. Yet the windswept 
plains of Dakota and Nebraska fared worse than sections farther east. Loss 
to human life and property was on the plains, in places, simply appalling. 
Entire families were lost; in some instances the bodies were not recovered 
till the snows began melting in spring. On this occasion the Loup Valley 
was almost miraculously saved from the loss of life. To be sure many nar- 
row escapes from death by freezing are chronicled; and in numerous in- 
stances only the most heroic efforts saved those imperilled from death. 

The morning of the 12th dawned damp and gloomy. A mist had been 
falling during the night; and the wind, which blew gently from the south, 
was just cold enough to turn the moisture covering all nature, into a light 
hoarfrost. Before noon the frost had disappeared and every indication 
pointed to an early clearing of the sky. But this was not to be. At just 
11:35 o'clock in the forenoon a terrific storm- blast struck Burwell, and 25 
minutes later reached Ord. In a moment the heavy leaden clouds were 
blotted out. A bewildering, blinding sheet of dustlike snow was whirled 
horizontally through the air; the thermometer began sinking at a rapid 
rate and before 4 o'clock reached 25 degrees below zero. The wayfarer, 
caught far from home, soon found his pathway obstructed by drifts of snow 
and every familiar guidemark obliterated. His bearings once gone would 
mean certain death unless he should chance in his blind gropings to stum- 
ble upon some human habitation or friendly stack of hay or straw in his 
path. 

As the early part of the day was so mild many people had ventured far 
from home. Scores of farmers were caught in town, where they had to re- 
main for several days, chafing under the restraint, but absolutely snow- 
bound. Others, less fortunate, who were caught on the road, in the valley 
or out in the hills, soon found themselves in a terrible predicament. Some 
were wise enough to unhook their teams and seek the nearest refuge; 
others, with their bearings lost, allowed their horses to lead them to some 
haven of safety. The writer knows of at least seventeen farmers in Valley 
county alone who shivered that terrible day and succeeding night to an end 
in straw stacks. Here is a solitary instance of this nature taken from the 
press of that month : 

"Mr. Banlemiah, a German, and his son, a lad of 14 or 15 years, got 
lost in the storm. After driving along till the cold began overcoming 
them, they abandoned the team and, digging a hole in the snowdrift, sought 
shelter there. But fearing they might freeze to death they again got up 
and staggered along till they chanced upon a strawstack, which saved their 
lives. When rescued they were both pretty badly frozen about the head, 



194 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

feet and hands. It is feared that Mr. Banlemiah will be obliged to have 
his hands and feet amputated." 

Stories without number could be told of narrow escapes throughout our 
Loup region. Here are a couple : 

"On the day of the blizzard Ebert Gaghagen of Vinton started after a 
load of hay, and when about a mile from home the wind upset the load. 
Ebert wandered around, lost, and did not reach a place of shelter till 4 
o'clock in the afternoon. Then he was so exhausted that he had to be 
assisted into the house." 

"Professor Tipser of Haskell Creek was caught four miles from the 
nearest house. His horse refused to face the storm. He then got out and 
led the horse till almost exhausted. He next attempted to build a fire by 
burning his sleigh, but even this failed. In despair he dragged his frozen 
limbs along till he finally found shelter at the home of a Mr. Moses." 

Some of the rural school teachers had harrowing experiences that day, 
and it seems almost Providential to us now that they should be able to have 
gotten their flocks of little ones home without a single casualty. Especially 
is this true, when we know that Custer county, our sister county on the 
west, chronicles fifteen victims, young and old. 

Mrs. Powell, who taught the so-called Hardscrabble school in Valley 
county, heroically determined to outweather the storm right in the school- 
house. The coal could be" made to last for some hours and, dieided into 
small rations, there would be lunch enough in the dinner pails till aid should 
come. But in the course of the day Mr. W. Thompson and others living 
near at hand came as a rescuing party and carried all to places of safety. 

While many other instances of snowbound people could be told we will 
not now weary the reader with them. However it seems that the story of 
the January blizzard is never considered complete without the story of 
Minnie Freeman, the Midvale heroine. We therefore reiterate it here, and 
add our personal views on the matter. The Ord Quiz of January 20 con- 
tains the following: 

"The manner in which this modest and unaspiring school teacher saved 
the lives of all her pupils during the great storm of Jan. 12, 1888, has won 
for her wide renown. The forenoon of that day was mild and damp, with 
a warm breeze from the south. But just at noon, without a minute's warn- 
ing, a hurricane blast came from the north. In an instant the temperature 
fell several degrees below zero, and the flying snow made it impossible to 
see but a few feet away. The first blast broke in the door of Miss Free- 
man's school house. With the aid of her larger pupils she closed and 
nailed it. A moment later the door gave way again and was irreparable; 
and to add to the dilemma, a portion of the roof was torn away also. Some- 
thing must be done at once. There was no alternative. Her sixteen pupils 
must be taken to the nearest house, a half-mile against the storm. At the 
peril of her own life, and with calm presence of mind and forethought she 
hastily but carefully covered the faces of her younger pupils and 
to prevent them from being lost — for in the terrible storm to wander away 



HARROWING TALES OP A THIRD OF A CENTURY 195 

a few feet was to be certainly lost — she tied them together. The older 
pupils she placed in the lead, and to see that none faltered, she brought up 
the rear. Thus was the heroic march begun and successfully accom- 
plished." 

The Headlight, in a late issue, tells us that "her school consisted of 
nine small children, and when the blizzard struck the school house and tore 
off a large portion of the roof, she gathered her children together and, ty- 
ing them with a cord, one end of which she took in her hand, she started 
for the sod house above, about half a mile distant, where she arrived safely, 
after suffering from fatigue and cold, for which heroic act her name has 
been immortalized in story and song. Miss Freeman is now the wife of 
Mr. Penny, a prosperous merchant of Lexington, Neb." 

Again, in the Lincoln Daily Star of June 17, 1905, we read that "as 
Iowa had her Kate Shelley so Nebraska has her Minnie Freeman." Now 
all this lauding to the sky would perhaps not. be so much out of place did 
we not, in so doing, forget the other heroes and heroines of that never-to- 
be-forgotten day. It never has seemed quite just to us that this one young 
woman, noble and unassuming though she were, alone should receive the 
ever ready acclamation of a hero-worshipping world, and alone be "immor- 
talized in story and song," when a score of others were just as deserving as 
she. In another sense it is hardly doing Miss Freeman justice. She was 
"modest and unassuming." She asked for no newspaper notoriety, for 
none of the presents or praise, such as overwhelmed her, coming from 
every part of the country. And then again, persons who are well acquaint- 
ed with the actual facts in the case are naturally enough inclined to blame 
Miss Freeman as wishing to take for herself all the credit of the act, to the 
exclusion of everyone else. 

The newspaper articles quoted above variously put the number of pu- 
pils rescued at nine and sixteen. A magnificent gold watch received by 
Miss Freeman from an admirer in California bears this inscription: "A. 
Andrews of San Francisco to Minnie Freeman, of Mira Valley School Dis- 
trict, Valley County, Nebraska, for her heroism in saving the lives of 
thirteen pupils during the storm of January 12, 1888." The back of the 
case is set with thirteen rubies to represent the thirteen lives she saved. 
Thus we have the numbers nine, thirteen and sixteen. And so it is with 
the other particulars of the story too — they have grown and been distorted 
from the first. After sifting all the facts to the bottom, we are ready to 
offer this version of the story. When the first blast struck the rickety sod 
school house the door was burst inward, and the unanchored board roof 
partially lifted. Miss Freeman, then, with the aid of her older pupils, 
grittily enough, braced the door, and nailed it shut. But this gave but a 
moment's respite. Again the door was torn open, and this time the storm 
carried a section of the roof entirely away. To remain was to perish, for 
the room was rapidly drifting full of snow. The children were accordingly 
bundled up as well as the wraps at hand permitted, and in a body they were 
started for the George Kellison home, one-half mile distant. The children. 



196 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

so say eyewitnesses, were not tied together to keep them from straying 
away. The Headlight, quoted above, would even have it appear that Miss 
Freeman led her whole school by this cord to Mr. Kellison's home — and 
safety. To Miss Freeman's praise it must be said that she was everywhere 
present — at the front, at the rear, and on the flanks of her little band. 
But she was not alone about this. The older boys and girls aided her in 
every way. Why not give them who so unflinchingly led through the 
drifts, aiding and encouraging the younger children all they could, and 
without whose assistance the youngsters could hardly have reached safety, 
some of the credit? Why not give honor to all to whom honor is due? 

The latest and in point of destructiveness the most disastrous of all the 
storms that have visited the Loup Valley is the Burwell Tornado of Sep- 
tember 15, 1905. This came as suddenly as it came unexpected. Never be- 
fore in history has a real twister of any great dimensions passed over our 
region. The so-called "cyclone" which struck Ord in September, 1885, 
could in no wise be compared to this either in velocity or in thorough- 
going destructiveness. 

The season 1905 was unusually satisfactory to our farmers. An abund- 
ance of rain interspersed with spells of hot weather resulted in bumper 
crops in valley and highland. The latter part of the summer only was 
somewhat unusual in its meteorological manifestations. The latter part of 
August and the first part of September marked a dry spell which, while it 
matured the corn rapidly and thus brought it be.yond the danger of frost, 
yet drew the moisture out of the ground at such a rapid rate that fall plow- 
ing fast became an impossibility. Then the change came. September 2nd 
saw a great area of low pressure slowly settle over Nebraska and other 
western states, which marked the beginning of a series of rain and wind- 
storms seldom equalled in western history. Friday, September 15th, 
marked the climax of the great atmospheric disturbances. All throughout 
Nebraska and- up and down the Missouri Valley, in Iowa, Missouri and 
Kansas, the winds blew with varying fury and deluges of rain and hail 
caused untold damage. That evening Burwell was visited by her de- 
structive tornado. 

The first intimation given the dwellers in the lower valley of any such 
catastrophe was some more or less incoherent messages by wire; then came 
the following postal card extra printed immediately after the storm by 
the Burwell Tribune: 

THE TRIBUNE POST CARD EXTRA. 

:, Burwell, Neb., Friday Evening, 8:30. 
A cyclone struck the north part of Burwell at 6 o'clock this evening, 
demolishing sixteen buildings, Mrs. A. E. McKinney, wife of E. B. Mc- 
Kinney, being instantly killed, and Mrs. Geo. Dinnell, Mrs. Leeper, Clifford 
Dinnell and Frank Hennich being hurt, the latter seriously. M. Saba's 
general store is a wreck and the dwellings of these entirely demolished : 
Costello, Hanna, J. Dinnell, McKinney, Scribner, Leeper, the Star, R. L. 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 197 

Miller, Mrs. Dinnell, Mrs. Aikens. Many others more or less damaged. 
Storm formed in The Forks west of town, was narrow, and extended only a 
mile and a half southeast of town." 

The full extent of the ruin wrought could nut be learned till Saturday 
morning. It then became apparent that good fortune alone had spared the 
town from a much more disastrous visitation. Had the wind column veered 
but a few rods to the southward it would have plowed its way through the 
heart of the hapless town and quite a different tale might now have been 
told. As it was, it certainly was bad enough, and years must pass before 
the storm trail can be entirely effaced. The Burwell Tribune in a supple- 
ment to the issue of Thursday, September 21st, tells the story of the dis- 
aster in the following language: 

"Friday, September 15, 1905, will be remembered for years by the 
present inhabitants of Burwell as the day of the great tornado. 

"Weather conditions that day were very peculiar. The day dawned 
clear and bright, but within an hour or two a dense fog enveloped the earth. 
This lifted and the sun shone brightly for a short period of time. Then fog 
again descended and obscured the landscape. The afternoon was hot and 
close; clouds black and threatening festooned the horizon to the north. 

"About six o'clock the death-dealing funnel-shaped cloud appeared to 
the northwest of town and in a few moments death and destruction were 
dealt out. 

"But few of the people of the town saw the awful creature of the ele- 
ments. Those who did took hasty refuge in storm cellars. Others did not 
know that anything more serious than a rain storm was brewing till the 
alarm was sounded. 

"The tornado seemed to form in The Forks — the confluence of the Cal- 
amus and the Loup — just northwest of town a couple of miles. Its first 
work was on the farm of M. J. Scott, close to where the funnel formed, 
where several grain stacks were promiscuously scattered over the country. 
A cornfield near Scott's was demolished. Then the residence of Mr. Cos- 
tello was razed. The family had gone to the cellar and thus escaped in- 
jury- 

"C. W. Hennich's stable and outbuildings were next destroyed. Frank 
Hennich was in the stable when the storm struck it and attempted to get 
into the house when a flying timber struck him down, crushing his ribs 
and injuring him internally. He grittily crawled to a clump of bushes and 
waited for the passage of the storm. His mother and sister were frantically 
trying to get to his aid and were tossed about by the wind but happily es- 
caped injury. 

"The storm passed east from this point, demolishing stables, cribs and 
outbuildings at Kirby McGrew's, destroying part of the Bartholomew 
house, occupied by Leslie Baker, then swinging a little south, it overturned 
John Dinnell's dwelling and razed Mike Saba's store. 

"R. W. Hanna's home, north of Saba's store about two blocks, a fine 
twp-story dwelling, was totally destroyed — smashed, I guess would express 



198 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

it about as well as any detailed description. Mr. Hanna, his wife, their 
son, and Mrs. Hanna's mother were in the house at the time and how they 
escaped unharmed is nothing less than a miracle. The building' was picked 
up bodily, carried a few feet and literally crushed into kindling wood. The 
four people were right in the midst of the wreckage and yet escaped with- 
out a scratch. 

"The Haas house north of Hanna's, occupied by Ed. McGuire, escaped 
destruction, but the barn, outbuildings, trees, etc., were swept away. Mar- 
tin McGuire lost a horse, wagon, harness, etc. 

"J. H. Schuyler's fine home, a little south and east of Hanna's, was 
perforated by flying timbers, racked and wrecked. Clothing which hung 
in a closet in the house was whisked out of the window and disappeared. 
The house is almost a total wreck. His stable was entirely blown away. 

"Wm. Kester's house, just east of Schuyler's, was partially unroofed. 
His stables and cribs were carried away. The debris from these buildings 
was carried eastward. 

"The home of E. B. McKinney, east and a little north of Kester's, was 
the scene of the greatest calamity. Both Mr. and Mrs. McKinney were in 
the house when tbe storm struck it. The house was reduced to kindling 
wood. Mrs. McKinney was killed almost instantly. Mr. McKinney was 
carried up into the air but escaped with slight injuries. 

"Mrs. Geo. DinneU's home, south of McKinney 's, was swept out of ex- 
istence. Mrs. Dinnell and son Clifford were carried away and up into the 
whirling mass of cloud and debris and thrown to the earth close together. 
Mrs. Dinnell sustained bruises and cuts about the head and body and is 
hurt internally. Clifford had his arm badly lacerated and broken. 

"Geo. Bell's livery barn was unroofed and wagons and buggies were 
carried away and broken and twisted into all conceivable shapes. One new 
wagon belonging to Prank Schuyler was found away down the road east, 
with the wheels gone and the spindles twisted off. 

The roof of Bell's residence, just across the street from the barn, had 
a large chunk taken out of the center, the damage looking as though it had 
resulted from something having been blown through it. 

"Mrs. Gring's residence, just east of Bell's, was badly damaged by 
wreckage blowing through it. 

"McGrew's old store building, occupied by J. H. Schuyler as a pump 
house, was demolished. The Star store, used in part as a store-house and 
part as a dwelling-house by Wm. Jeffries, was razed. The family narrowly 
escaped death. 

"North of McKinney's the wreckage of houses lies westward. Here 
Mrs. Scribner's home was made into matchwood; the house occupied by 
Mr. Wheeler and family shared the same fate. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and 
three children were in the house at the time but escaped without serious 
injury. 

"Fred Woodworth's house (the Hoyt property), a concrete house, was 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 199 

unroofed and wrecked, the windmill, outbuildings trees, fences, etc., being 
entirely destroyed. 

"H. C. Woodworth's barn was destroyed and his team taken on an 
aerial trip. The horses were found near W. L. McMullen's home, nearly a 
half mile southeast, unscratched. 

"Mrs. Aken : s dwelling was blown to smithereens, as was also that of 
Mrs. Leeper, wherein Mrs. Leeper was badly hurt. 

"I. W. McGrew's fine home is almost a wreck although not torn up 
badly. Timbers were driven through it and it was carried off the founda- 
tion and generally wrecked. McGrew's barn was totally destroyed, bug- 
gies, harnesses, outbuildings, etc., went with the general wreck to the 
southeast. 

"D. E. Sawdey's place, next east of McGrew's, was a scene of desola- 
tion. All his outbuildings, windmill, dray wagon, harnesses, etc., were 
totally wiped out. His barn was destroyed, the horses blown over the 
house into the field southward and there escaped unhurt. The dwelling 
house was picked up, sent a short distance into the air and jammed onto 
the ground just off the foundation. It is almost a total wreck. 

"R. L. Miller, who lives just east of Sawdey's, says the storm passed 
him on its first trip through, but after cleaning up R. B. Miller's place (the 
Carson farm adjoining town on the east), it swung back and completely 
wrecked his home — the two-story part of his dwelling being lifted up and 
deposited wrong side up in the yard. The family had seen the storm com- 
ing and had taken refuge in the cave. Every bit of furniture in the house 
was broken to bits except a large mirror. 

"R. B. Miller's place was hard hit and Mrs. Miller and the children 
had a very narrow escape. Indeed it seems incredible that they could have 
escaped injury in the mix-up that occurred in the house. Barns, cribs, 
granaries, fences — everything on the place except the dwelling house itself 
was entirely swept away — some of the wreckage being carried south, part 
north. The dwelling was taken up, spun around and jammed into the earth 
and foundation. Furniture, plaster, debris from the storm, the lady and 
children, were mixed up indiscriminately but yet the folks escaped unhurt. 
One horse and several head of hogs were killed on this place. The storm 
passed southeast, sweeping away grain stacks, wrecking cornfields — in 
places shucking the corn and digging potatoes, crossing the Loup between 
H. T. Johns' and Ed Brown's places and entering the hills where it wiped 
out Wayne Waldron's farm house, barns, etc., and carried off his team. No 
further trace of the tornado can be found. 

"Will Post's new barn in the Harrison addition was snatched out from 
among the dwellings roundabout and literally carried away. The only other 
damage done was the upsetting of Mr. Bilderback's house which was under 
course of construction." 

"A relief committee, composed of L. B. Fenner, John Brockus, Guy 
Laverty, A. Mitchell and Fred J. Grunkemeyer, was appointed by a mass 
meeting of the citizens of Burwell Saturday afternoon to solicit funds and 



200 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

look after the unfortunate victims of the tornado. The meeting was called 
bA W. C. Johns, chairman of the village board. Contributions are coming 
in nicely but a great deal more cash can be used and contributions of cloth- 
ing, etc., would not come amiss. 

"The cornice of the Burwell State Bank building was wrecked. 

"Windmills, cribs, etc., at Cram's stockyards were demolished. 

"The front of Janes & Sons' store was blown in, as was part of the 
front of Johns & Mitchell's. 

"One of the city's windmills went tiirough the window of Baker's bar- 
ber shop. 

"Nearly everybody in town lost a chimney or two. 

"The front of Murphy's saloon went out. 

"Arlo McGrew hung to a fencepost between the barn and the house 
until the storm had spent its fury. The ground around him was covered 
with timbers, but he escaped injury. 

"Charley Rupel lost a valuable cow in the mix-up. 

"One would bet money to marbles that a rabbit couldn't have escaped 
from where the Hanna family did without injury. 

"Mr. Costello's house was insured for $600. 

"The only cyclone insurance carried by any of the losers was $300 by 
Mrs. Scribner, $1,400 by J. H. Schuyler and $750 by Mr. Carson. 

"Mike Saba, John Dinnell and J. H Schuyler, and Rev. E. Maleng, 
who were in Saba's store when it went up, had miraculous escapes. Mike 
found himself hung to a telephone pole near the Star store, Jerry flew out 
and grabbed a pole, John went out and up, landed and was knocked down 
by timbers several times. The preacher remained in the building until 
help arrived. All escaped without serious injuries. 

"A potted plant stood between McKinney's house and the gate, a dis 
tance of not over five feet from the house. It was uninjured. 

"Mrs. Ed McGuire's canary bird was hanging in a cage on the porch 
and was carried away. The cage was found Saturday about half a mile 
away but no canary. Sunday morning the canary returned to the house 
and is now installed in a new cage. 

"A part of a wooden hoop from a barrel was driven through a tree in 
I. W. McGrew's yard. 

"Half of M. McGuire's potato patch was dug by the tornado. 

"It is a difficult matter to estimate the property loss. Many of the 
minor losses are not recorded. Following is a partial list. The loss will 
total more than $50,000: 

Costello $1000 

Hennich 500 

Hanna 8000 

Schuyler, J. H 2500 

McKinney 2000 

Saba 5000 

Murphy , 100 



HARROWING TALES OF A THIRD OF A CENTURY 201 

Dinnell, Mrs. Geo. $ 500 

Dinnell, John 500 

McGrew, 1. W 2000 

Scri bner 600 

Leeper 500 

Wuodwortb, Fred 800 

Miller, R. L 2000 

Miller, R. B 500 

Sawdey 500 

Carson 1000 

Schuyler, John ; 500 

Akens 500 

Coon 400 

Brownell 150 

Bell, G. W 1000 

McGrew, Kirby 250 

McGuire, M 350 

Williams, R. T 125 

Star Store 350 

Hathaway 100 

Ziegler, Orville 100 

Post 250 

Cram, W. 1 200 

Telephone Co 500 

Raster, Wm 200 

Wcodworth, H. C .' 200 

Beatrice Creamery Co. , notes, cream cans, etc 50< »0 

Garrison, Fred 300 

Otte, Will 200 

Barr, Jas 100 

Thurman, Tan 100 

Miscellaneous 1001 H i 

Beauchamp, Ross, corn -200 



Changes Down Through the Years. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

What constitutes a state? 

Not high raised battlement, or labored mound.. 
Thick wall or moated gate; 

Not cities fair, with spires and turrets crown'd; 
No: — Men, high-minded men, 

With powers as far above dull brutes endued 
In forest, brake or den, 

As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude: — Alcaeus, The State. 

THE FIRST regular election held in Valley county after its organiza- 
tion, took place in October, 1873, and resulted as follows: L. C. 
Jacobs, John Case and R. W. Bancroft, Commissioners; W. D. Long, 
Clerk; E. D. McKenney, Treasurer; Oscar Babcock, Judge; H. A. Bab- 
cock, Sheriff; Thomas McDowell, Surveyor; and Charles Badger, Superin- 
tendent of Schools. At an election held October 13, 1874, R. W. Bancroft 
was re-elected Commissioner and Peter Mortensen and Mingerson Coombs 
were elected respectively Treasurer and Surveyor, to fill out the ticket. 

At the regular election held on October 12, 1875, Mingerson Coombs, 
A. S. Adams and C. H. Woods were elected Commissioners; Thomas Tracy, 
Judge; M. B. Goodenow, Sheriff: H. A. Babcock, Clerk, Peter Mortensen, 
Treasurer; Oscar Babcock, Superintendent of Schools; Charles Webster, 
Surveyor; and Charles Badger, Coroner. 

On Nov. 7, 1876, Oscar Babcock was elected County Commissioner. 
Herman Westover was appointed County Superintendent to fill Mr. Bab- 
cock's unexpired term. 

At the next annual election, held on Nov. 12, 1877, H. A. Babcock was 
elected Clerk; Byron K. Johnson, Commissioner; Peter Mortensen, Treas- 
urer; Herman Westover, Judge; H. W. Nelson, Surveyor; M. Coombs, 
Superintendent of Schools; and E. D. McKenney, Coroner. 

The election of November, 1878, resulted in the election of Oscar Bab- 
cock to the State Legislature from the Forty-fifth Representative District. 
W. B. Keown and A. V. Bradt were elected Commissioners. 

At the general election on November 4, 1879, B. H. Johnson was elect- 
ed Commissioner; H. A. Babcock, Clerk; Peter Mortensen, Treasurer; 
Herbert Thurston, Sheriff; S. L. R. Maine, Judge; H. W. Nelson, Survey- 
or; and M. Coombs, Superintendent. 

In November, 1880, H. C. Perry was elected County Commissioner. 

The regular election on Nov. 8, 1881, resulted in the election of Arthur 
C. Lapham, Commissioner; H. A. Babcock, Clerk; Peter Mortensen, 



CHANGES DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS 203 

Treasurer; John Mosher, Judge; Herbert Thurston, Sheriff; John F. 
Kates, Superintendent; C. J. Nelson, Surveyor; and E. D. McKenney, 
Coroner. In the November election of 1882, H. A. Chase defeated his 
opponent for Commissioner by a vote of 422 to 33. 

Now, as the county increased more rapidly in population, much of the 
old, neighborly feeling was beginning to wear away, and party lines to be 
more closely drawn In the regular election of 1883 a bitter contest ensued 
between Arthur H. Schaefer, the Republican nominee and Ed. Satterlee, 
Democrat, for the Clerkship. Mr. Schaefer was elected. A. D. Robinson 
was chosen to succeed Mr. Mortensen who had refused further re-nomina- 
tion to the office of Treasurer. All the other officials were re-elected. 

The election of Nov. 3, 1885, resulted in a complete Republican victory. 
J. J. Hamlin was elected Commissioner; A. D Robinson, Treasurer; A. H. 
Schaefer, Clerk; A. A. Laverty, Judge; W. B. Johnson, Sheriff; John F. 
Kates, Superintendent; D. C. Way, Surveyor; F. D. Bickford, Coroner. 

In November 1886. J. A. Ollis, Jr. was elected County Commissioner, 
and E. J. Clements, County Attorney. 

The election held November 8, 1887, was closely contested as a new 
element — the Prohibitionist — showed remarkable strength. The Republi- 
can nominees were, however, elected with the one exception of Superin- 
tendent. For this place the Democratic candidate, Stephen A. Parks de- 
feated Mrs. Emma Gillespie by some 50 votes. The other republicau can- 
didates elected were, Jacob Lemaster, commissioner; Abe Trout, Treas- 
urer; Jas. A. Patton, Clerk; A. A. Laverty, Judge; R. C. Nichols, Sheriff; 

C. J. Nelson, Surveyor; and Ed. McKenney, Coroner. 

In the election held November 6, 1888, the main issue before the people 
was the question of township organization versus the Commissioner sys 
tern. The township supervisor idea seemed to meet with general ap- 
proval, and carried at the polls by a vote of 826 for to 381 against. At this 
election B. H. Johnson was chosen Commissioner, the last under the old 
organization. 

A spiritless campaign, characterized by Republican disaffection and 
general dissatisfaction, marked the fall of 1889. When November 5 came 
the best the Republicans could do was to elect treasurer, clerk and coroner; 
the other offices all went to the Democrats. Those elected were Abe Trout, 
Treasurer; J. A. Patton, Clerk; J. R. Fairbanks, Judge; W. H. Beagle, 
Sheriff; S. A. Parks, Superintendent; Bennett Seymour, Surveyor, and F. 

D. Bickford. Coroner. 

By 1890 the Farmers' Alliance was entering politics and the Populist 
party was in the making. A great shifting in party affiliation was taking 
place. And this to such an extent that the Republican party was soon to 
lose control of both county and state. November 4, 1890, saw the election 
of Charles Munn, a former Republican, to the county attorneyship; this 
marked the beginning of Valley county's change in political affiliation. 

The next year, Nov. 3, 1891, every office with the sole exception of 
county clerk was won by the "Independent Party." George Hall was the 



204 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

only Republican elected, and he went in with the small majority of 59 votes. 
The Independents elected were : I. S. Fretz, Treasurer; F. C Cummins, 
Judge: A. V. Mensing, Sheriff; J. H. Jennings, Superintendent; Wm. Hill, 
Surveyor; J. M. Klinker, Coroner. 

In 1892 and again in 1894 Charles Munn was re-elected county attorney. 
The election held November 7, 1893, did in nowise change the political com- 
plexion of the county officials. The only changes were the substitution of 
Vincent Kokes, Republican, for George Hall, Republican, and Dougal Mc- 
Call, Independent, for J. H. Jennings, Independent. 

The year 1895 was marked by a rather vindictive campaign. The chief 
light was on the clerkship, now. the Republican citadal. Vincent Kokes 
and his opponent, Jorgen Miller, were both strong, clean men. The Re- 
publican forces were, however, marshalled in such a manner that Mr. 
Kokes retained his office by a large majority. The Republicans now re- 
gained control of the county board, the vote standing: Republican, 4; In- 
dependent, 3. The Republicans also regained the offices of sheriff and 
surveyor. Those elected were: Vincent Kokes, Clerk; H. A. Goodrich, 
Treasurer; R. L. Staple, Judge; Adam Smith, Sheriff; D. McCall, Super- 
intendent; C. J. Nelson, Surveyor; E. J. Bond, Coroner. 

In 1896, while the nation went for McKinley, Nebraska and Valley 
county voted for Bryan. J. H. Cronk, an Independent, was elected to the 
state legislature and A. Norman, a Democrat, was elected county attorney. 

The next year, 1897, was in many respects an off year. The results of 
the November election were rather mixed. Vincent Kokes was re-elected 
clerk; W. B. Keown, Republican, defeated H. A. Goodrich, the incumbent, 
by only twu votes; R. L. Staple was re-elected, as was also Adam Smith; 
Lorenzo Blessing, Republican, defeated D. McCall, likewise S. G. Gardner, 
Independent, defeated C. J. Nelson. Drs. F. D. Haldeman and E. J. Bond 
each polled 719 votes for coroner. Dr. Bond later drew the lucky straw 
and was declared elected. As it was thought that Valley county had now a 
population which under the law would allow the maintenance of a separate 
office for Clerk of District Court, candidates were put in the field for this 
office. Frank Koupal, Independent, was elected. 

The election held November 5, 1899, was a victory for the Independent 
party; but it was also their last one. W. B. Keown and Lorenzo Blessing 
were the only Republicans elected. The other officials chosen were: 
Horace Davis, Clerk of District Court; Frank Koupal, County Clerk; R. L. 
Staple, Judge; H. D. Heuck, Sheriff; F. J. Ager, Surveyor; and R. A. 
Billings, Coroner. 

In 1900 the Republican party won in nation, state and county. Victor 
O. Johnson, the popular Independent who had been appointed County 
Attorney when Charles A. Munn resigned to become District Judge, was 
elected by a bare 14 votes. Everything was preparing for the Republican 
victory of 1901. 

The census of 1900 showed conclusively that Valley county was not en- 
titled to the separate office of Clerk of District Court, This was therefore 



CHANGES DOWN THROUGH^THE YEARS 



205 



ordered discontinued. In "the election r held'"November 5, 1901, only two 
Independents were elected. These were Judge Staple and Superintendent 
Ira Manchester. Everything else went Republican. The new set of offi- 
cials were: Alvin Blessing, Clerk; W. L. McNutt, Treasurer; John 
Kokes, Sheriff; C. J. Nelson, Surveyor; C. A. Brink, Coroner. 




The year 1902 proved still more conclusively the Republican ascend- 
ency in local politics. The election held November 4th of that year saw 
the election of Peter Mortensen, one of the first settlers in our county, to 
the post of State Treasurer; M. L. Fries of Arcadia was elected to repre- 
sent the 15th Senatorial District in the state legislature; Dr. A. E. Bartoo, 



206 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



also of Arcadia, was elected State Representative; and Arthur Clements of 
Ord defeated Victor O. Johnson for county attorney by 196 votes. These 
were all Republicans. 

The general election of November 12, 1903, saw the end of Populist 
regime, so far as administrative offices are concerned. Every Republican 
of the previous administration was re-elected, and Hjalmar Gudmundsen 




Andrew J. Gillespie, Sr., the Centenarian of the Loup, Who Celebrated, His 100th Birthday 
at Scotia, June 4, 1905. Mr. Gillespie Has 172- Living Descendants — 
' Nine Children, Seventy-seven Grandchildren, Eighty Great- 
Grandchildren, and Six Great-Great-Grandchildren. 

was chosen to succeed Judge R. L. Staple, and Alta Jones to succeed Mr. 
Manchester as superintendent. 



CHANGES DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS 207 

Our last election was held in November, 1904. On that occasion M. L. 
Fries, A. E. Bartoo and Arthur Clements were all re-elected by good 
majorities. 

One of the greatest drawbacks in the settlement of a new section of 
country is a lack of means of easy transportation. The settler on the 
western plains early found it impractical to stray very far from a railway 
base. For, after all, he had to depend upon this as a depot to supply him 
with the necessaries of life, and in return to take his output of grain and 
livestock. When the Loup valley was settled, its southernmost colony was 
fifty miles from the nearest railway, and the Loup county colony fully twice 
that distance. In 1872, and for many years after that time, our lathers had 
to cart every pound of provisions and every foot of finishing lumber from 
Grand Island. That this was the direct cause of much hardship, and ma- 
terially retarded the development of the Loup region, goes without saying. 
Atrip to the "Island" was fraught with all manner of difficulties. There 
were rivers and creeks to be forded, for bridges were few and far between 
in thospi days. The early wagon-roads were mere trails and made hauling 
heavy loads impracticable. And finally there were the elements, summer 
storm and winter blast, to be reckoned with. It is therefore not to be won- 
dered at that the pioneers should rejoice when the Republican Vallej 7 
(Union Pacific) Railroad commenced building northward from Grand Island. 
The new road was completed to St. Paul in 1880 and thereby shortened our 
distance to market by some twenty-five miles. 

To the Federal Government's praise it must be said that it has always 
done what it could to furnish outlying settlements with good mail service. 
The frontier star routes usually entailed a considerable annual deficit, but 
in spite of this thev have been kept up as an encouragement to settlement. 
By 1880, mail and stage routes permeated every part of our region; and 
daily and tri-weekly service was furnished the whole valley. The mail 
time-card here printed gives some idea of the completeness of this service, 
such as we knew it in 1882: 

MAIL MOVEMENTS. 
ARRIVES FROM THE EAST. 

Arrives from St. Paul, via Scotia and Springdale, daily except Sunday, at H p. ni. 

Arrives from St Paul, via Cotesfield and North Loup, on Tuesday, Thursday and Satur- 
day, at 6, p m. 

Arrives from Dannebrog, via Kelso, Bluffton, Mira Creek, Vinton, and Geranium, every 
Saturday at noon. 

FROM THE WEST. 

Arrives from Willow Springs, Fort Hartsuff and Calamus at 5:80 p. m., daily except 
Sunday. 

Arrives from The Forks and Ida on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 6 p. m. 

TEPARTS FOR THE WEST. 

Leaves for Calamus, Fort Hartsuff and Willow Springs, at 7:00 a. m., daily except Sunday. 
Leaves for Ida and The Forks at 7:00 a. m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

GOING EAST. 

Leaves for Springdale, Scotia and St. Paul at 7 a. m. daily, except Sunday. 



208 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Leaves for North Loup, Cotesiield and St. Paul at 7 a. m., on Monday, Wednesday and 
Friday. 

Leaves for Geranium, Vinton, Mira Creek, Blutfton, Kelso and Dannebrog, at 2 p. m. on 
Saturdays. 

Stage leaves North Loup on Tuesday for Mira Creek, Vinton and Arcadia, returning on 
Wednesday. 

Stage leaves for Geranium and other points between Ord and West Union on Friday 
morning, and returns next morning. 

In the spring of 1881, the air was full of persistent railroad rumors. 
The TInion Pacific would extend northward from St. Paul to North Loup 
and Ord, it was said. Mass meetings were held at both of these places 
and much enthusiasm was manifested. April 8th, Ord voted the Union 
Pacific bonds amounting to $5,000.00, as an inducement to hasten the ex- 
tension; about the same time North Loup township voted the sum of 
$4,000.00 for a like purpose. The grade on the extension was at once be 
gun. Within a year the first train entered North' Loup amid general re 
joicing. But Ord was doomed to wait long years before her cherished hope 
became reality. Not before midsummer of 1886 was the track completed 
to Ord, which is yet the terminus of the line. 

Great preparations were made to celebrate the event. It was the in- 
tention to make this a banner day in Loup history. Citizens turned out en- 
masse to make the necessary arrangements. That preparations were 
thoroughgoing can be gathered from the minutes of the mass meeting 
here appended : 

THE RAILROAD CELEBRATION MEETING. 

'Ord, Neb., July 6, 1886. 
As per special call of committee previously to arrange for a celebration 
at Ord on the completion of the railroad the citizens met at the court house. 
By unanimous vote Judge Laverty was made chairman, and H. A. Walker 
secretary. The committee reported their doings and were discharged. Up- 
on motion the chairman appointed the following named nine gentlemen as 
an executive committee: J. M. Provins, C. B. Coffin, H. C. Wolf, Peter 
Mortensen, II. A. Walker, Fred Cleveland, D. N. McCord, George Stover, 
and E. M. Coffin. H. A. Babcock, A. D. Robinson and D. N. McCord were 
retained to further correspond with the railroad company in regard to ex- 
cursion to Ord. The following committees were appointed : on invitation 
of speakers and special invitations, J, H. Ager, D. B. Jenckes, Geo. A. 
Percival, and Wra. Haskell; on finance J. L. McDonough. J. K. McConnell, 
E. K. Harris, and John Beran ; on program, A. A. Laverty, G. W. Wishard, 
I. Moore, J. M. Kiinkor and A. M. Robbins; on shade M. J. Coffin, Wm. 
Wentworth, John Maresh ; reception, A. M. Robbins, G. W. Milford, W. B. 
Johnson, E. J. Clements, P. L. Harris, W. D. Ogden, J. M. Provins, C. C. 
Wolf, W H. Williams, Geo. O Ferguson, A. II. Schaefer, T. R. Linton, 
Rev. Dodder, E. A. Russell; on music, Geo. A. Percival, D. Quackenbush, 
J. G. Sharp; on printing, editors-in-chief of North Loup Mirror, Ai'cadia 
Courier, Ord Democrat, Ord Weekly Quiz, and Valley County Journal; mar- 
shal, W. B. Johnson, with A. W. Travis, John Wentworth, Bud Likes, 



CHANGES DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS 



209 



Wm. McKenney, Fred Bartlett and Steve Weare assistants; on ammunition, 
Chas. Feiger, J. (J. Heddle, Ezra McMichael, with request that they secure 
a cannon from Grand Island, if possible. The executive committee were 
empowered to appoint any sub-committee advisable. A motion carried 
inviting citizens, farmers, mechanics, tradesmen, and secret organizations 
to take part in a general industrial parade, Wm. Wentworth being manager. 
It was decided we celebrate ou or about July 23d, 1886. Meeting adjourned 
subject to special call of executive committee. H. A. Walker, Sec." 

The date of the celebration was later definitely set for the 29th of July. 
The fete was liberally advertised and every preparation made for a glori- 
ous ratification. Then at the last moment word came from railway head- 
quarters stating that it would be impossible for them to furnish the desired 




An Early Photograph of the Ord Court House and Square. The Trees Have now Grown 
so Large as to almost entirely Hide the Building from View. 

train by the specified time. The result was a great disappointment and 
ended by the celebration being definitely called off. 

The year 1887 had a surprise in store for the Loup region. It was the 
unheralded coming of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. To be 
sure surveying outfits had been passing through the valley at various times 
during the spring, but that was not taken very seriously as the Union Pa- 
cific experience had made most men rather pessimistic on railroad questions. 
But when one bright day in March, gang after gang of graders commenced 
filing through Ord on their way up the country, the doubter received a sud- 
den set-back. By April 1st, grades were beginning to take form all along 
the route and the whole valley rejoiced. Tne following appeared in one of 
the newspapers at that time: 



210 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

"Last Saturday a B. &M. grading outfit came into town without ceremony 
or forewarning. It consists of 60 mule teams and about 100 men, all pro- 
vided with abundance of new implements. Monday they pitched their tents 
at various points up the river as far as Meeks' place. The first camp is 
on Dane Creek just north of town, and the dirt is flying in grand shape. 
This move on the part of the B. & M. was the greatest possible surprise 
to the Ordites and naturally enough they are elated over this good luck and 
rejoice over the boom that must inevitably come. It has been a question in 
what direction the B. & M. will connect with their main line, but that is 
pretty well settled now. The line will run from Central City to Greeley 
Center and from thence to Ord leaving Scotia out in the cold. In this way 
Ord will have a direct B. & M. line to Lincoln and a competing line to both 
Lincoln and Omaha. The object of the B. & M. starting work at Ord first 
is evidently to cut off all possibility of the U. P, going farther up the 
stream. It will have the line completed to Ord as soon as the grade above 
this place will be ready for the ties. It is undoubtedly true that surveyors 
of the Northwestern railroad are at work headed for Ord. The company 
has already made a survey to this place and the second visit means some- 
thing. With the U. P., B. & M. and the Northwestern Ord will be a great 
railroad center indeed." 

The coming of the B. & M. was important in more ways than one. In 
Greeley county is settled the fate of Scotia so far as being the county seat 
is concerned. Greeley Center, near the geographical center of the county, 
lay in the path of the new road. This settled the county seat controversy 
in its favor. The B. & M. was the making of Burwell in Garfield county, 
and as completely the undoing of poor Willow Springs on the opposite side 
of the river. Loup county, too, was greatly benefited by the railroad for, 
although it did not tap the county, Taylor and Almeria were brought 
fully 20 miles nearer railroad communications by its coming. 

Arcadia and the Middle Loup had long awaited the building of some 
railroad. The Union Pacific filed a plat of extension of the O. &R. V. E. R. 
up the Middle Loup, with the county Clerk October 27, 1886, and Arcadia 
lived in the happy expectancy of its early advent. The road was built from 
St. Paul through Dannebrog and Boelus, to Loup City, but that is up to the 
present time its terminus. For here, too, the Burlington played a lucky 
hand. From Palmer in Merrick county, it quietly built westward through 
Saint Paul to Loup City, and then followed the identical route selected by 
the Union Pacific up the Middle Loup to Arcadia, cutting out the latter 
at Loup City. Lately the B. & M. has been extended from Arcadia to Sar- 
gent in Custer county, and may in time be projected further northwestward. 



The Newspaper and the Valley. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

In the United States a constant interest in political or social 
affairs, complete freedom from censorship or restriction except 
that provided by the liberal laws, have given five per cent of the 
population of the world forty per cent of its newspapers.-lnves- 
tigator. 

THE PRINTING PRESS was set up at an early date in our Valley, 
and from the very first has it been one of the most potent factors 
in oar development. The early newspaper became the mouthpiece of the 
pioneers, calling upon the older settlements to send their quota to re-mforce 
Sie small bands upon the frontier. It rallied the settlers when they were 
discouraged. It held them together and molded sentiment and public opin- 
ion In the lat er day it has this power still. It advertises us abroad and 
interests the world in our possibilities; at home it chronicles our common 
history and speaks our sentiments in social and political affairs 

The Valley County Herald was the first newspaper published m the 
county It was established at Calamus in the fall of 1875 by W H. Mit- 
chell,' a lawyer, and was published there for two years, when it was re- 
moved to Ord. Calamus proved in the days of its boom a very profitable 
newspaper town, but when the first signs of the early decadence ot Port 
Hartsuff appeared and the county seat began to take form, Mr. Mitchell de- 
cided to take time by the forelock and get out while there was yet time. 
Thus the Herald became an Ord paper. Meanwhile a competitor had en- 
tered the field. This was the Valley County Courier, established at Vinton 
early in 1877 by Henry W. Nelson and L. P. Granger, who hoped through 
the medium of their paper to draw investors to the new townsite How- 
ever, after printing the Courier for six long months in a lone dugout on the 
prairie, the partners despaired of making the venture a success. Mr. 
Grander sold his interest to Mr. Nelson, who now as sole owner moved to 
Ord and re-established the Courier there as the first newspaper at the coun- 
ty seat. In a very short time the Herald was also in the field But as both 
papers were republican the picking became mighty slim and Mr. Mitchell 
was glad to sell the Herald to J. C. Lee, who changed the paper to a Green- 
back sheet, in accord with the greenback sentiment of the times But un- 
fortunately for the new venture, our people did not fancy the Greenback 
doctrines, accordingly the Herald failed. This was just after election. 



212 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Later, we are told, the plant was removed to Grand Island where it became 
the the nucleus of the Grand Island Democrat. 

On February 3, 1879, Henry W. Nelson sold the Courier to Joe H. 
Capron who changed its name to the Valley County Journal. Mr. Capron 
had learned the printing trade at Preeport, Illinois, but through the solici- 
tation of his brother, Lieutenant Capron, became Quartermaster's clerk at 
Port Hartsuff. As was natural, however, he was glad to get back to his 
chosen profession. No sooner had the new paper got into good work- 
ing order than misfortune overtook it. On the night of March 23, its 
printing office was burned to the ground, entailing an almost total loss. 
But the new editor did not despair. A new outfit was immediately ordered 
from Chicago and arrived after much tedious waiting. For those were 
times of slow transportation, as the last sixty-five miles of the route were 
overland. Meanwhile, as there was no other printing office in the Valley 
where the paper might be published temporarily, the Journal suspended 
publication till the new office could be put into shape. On May 7, the re- 
habilitated paper was again in the field, better and brighter than ever. 
August 5, 1881, Charles C. Wolf associated himself with Mr. Capron in the 
management of the paper. The Journal was published by the firm of 
Capron and Wolf till Dec. 31, 1883,. when Mr. Wolf retired to become post 
master of Orel. 

On July 14, 1881, another lawyer by the name of C. S. Copp estab- 
lished the Independent. This paper also was Republican in politics and 
found the field already pretty well taken up. After less than three months 
the management of the paper was changed. It now appeared with Winin- 
ger and Clayton as publishers and R. H. Clayton as editor. The latter was 
an able newspaper man and in almost any other newspaper field than in 
that of Republican Valley county would have made a marked success. He 
made the Independent a fiery opposition sheet and throughout the cam- 
paign of 1881 and for some months thereafter put up a plucky fight 
against "Republican corruption." But this paper weakened for want of 
support. On January 16, 1882, it met its fate and was discontinued. 

The Ord Quiz was established April 6, 1882, by W. W. Haskell as a Re- 
publican paper, and will soon be able to celebrate its quarter centennial 
anniversary under its original founder. Mr. Haskell has this to say about 
the founding of the paper: "On the day after election in 1881, I appeared 
on the scene with an eye to the newspaper business. There seemed to be 
no room for three papers so I awaited the death of the Independent, which 
seemed inevitable. The expected occurred and the first Quiz uutfit was 
ordered. This arrived during March, 1882, and April 6, the same year, the 
first issue appeared." During the twenty-four years of the Quiz's pub- 
lication it has been known as a staunch Republican paper. Through foul 
report and fair, it has been loyal to its party; never for an instance has it 
hesitated in its allegiance to the principles that it represented. And as a 
reward the Quiz finds itself today the strongest and most popular news- 
paper in our part of the Loup Valley. 



THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE VALLEY 



213 



Meanwhile, the county grew in population and the Democrats came to 
feel the lack of an organ of their own persuasion. To make amends for 
this M. Randall and other Democrats circulated a subscription paper to aid 
in the establishment of such a paper. In the fall of 1884, Evans Brothers 
arrived from Iowa and started The Standard. After a few months John 
Evans retired from the firm and his brother Jack pegged away till Feb- 
ruary, 1885, and then turned the plant over to Provins and McDonough. 
The new management evidently not wishing the public to be left in doubt 
as to the politics of their paper, re-dubbed it The Ord Democrat. Mr. 
Provins, taking sick, sold his interest to Byron Griffith, who in turn sold 
out to J. L McDonough. December 10, 1886, J. R. Clayton, of the defunct 
Independent, began to edit the Democrat on a salary and got along very 




The Elms- Home of J. R. Williams, Ord. 

nicely till the paper was sold to the true-blue Jeffersonian Democrat, A. W. 
Jackson. This was April 16, 1888. 

Between 1886 and '88 a remakable pohibition sentiment manifested it- 
self in Valley county. July 7, 1887, C. C. Wolf bought the Valley County 
Journal and changed its name to The Pohibition Star. Mr. Wolf unfortunate- 
ly found the new venture a losing one. Shortly after election The Star was 
merged with The Quiz. The printing plant was used in the new Willow 
Springs Gazette, established by Rogers and Haskell at Willow Springs in 
Garfield county. Less than a month after the appearance of the Star,. 
O. S. Haskell and Rev. B. F. Hilton embarked upon a new prohibition ven- 
ture called The Blizzard. Rev. Hilton soon tired of the paper and with- 
drew, leaving O. S. Haskell as sole proprietor. Early in 1890 Mr. Haskell 
was carried away on the populist bide and changed his politics The Bliz- 
zard novy became a populist organ. O. S. Haskell soon sold out to Dr, 



214 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



J. M. Klinker who changed the Blizazrd to The Ord Journal. The latter 
published the paper till October 16, 1893, and then sold out to B. A. Brew- 
ster. He, in turn, relinquished his paper to the experienced, old news- 
paper man, J. L. Claflin, of St. Paul. This was February 13, 1894. Some 
six weeks after this, March 30, Mr. Claflin also bought the Democrat from 
A. W. Jackson and merged the two under the name of the Ord Journal. 
But the pioneer populist newspaper in Valley county was The Independent, 




Street Scene, Burwell. 

founded by Leonard Brothers in December, 1890. They barely made ends 
meet and were glad to dispose of their plant to D. J. Martz, who in turn 
changed the paper's name to The People's Advocate. But this paper never 
prospered ; and after barely existing for some time, Mr. Martz moved the 
entire outfit to Oklahoma. 

The passing of the Advocate left but two papers in the field, the Quiz 



THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE VALLEY 



215 



and The Journal. Of these the Journal was destined to go tnrough still 
further changes. Thus in October, 1894, and just before election, 
Mr. Ciaflin for some reason sold out to A. W. Jackson. But this Simon- 
pure Democrat did not relish writing populist editorials and again, in Jan- 
uary 1894, the paper was re-sold to Mr. Ciaflin. From this time on till 
January 1890, the Ord Journal remained under his management. Then Mr. 
Ciaflin sold out to Charles Smith, expecting to leave the newspaper work 




Public School Building of Burwell. 

for a new field of activity. But for various reasons the Journal once more 
passed into Mr. Claflin's hands. Since that time it has been published 
variously by Horace M. Davis, Miles Brothers, Davis and Parks, and now, 
in 1905, again by Horace M. Davis who is making it one of the newsiest 
and strongest papers in our Valley. 

January 27, 1887, L. J. Harris founded th'e Real Estate Register at Ord. 



216 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



It lasted only a few months and then died a peaceful death. In May, 1897, 
The Valley County Times was founded by Harris and Leggett. But in 
November of the same year Harris retired from the firm leaving H. D. Leg- 
gett the sole proprietor. The paper was Republican in politics. It was 
well edited and enterprising; but there was hardly field enough to support 
two republican newspapers at the county seat. In November, 1901, Mr. 
Lcggett therefore sold his paper to the Quiz. As things now stand Ord 
has but two papers the Quiz and the Journal. 

The press was first represented in North Loup by the Mirror, estab- 
lished by R. S. Buchanan in June, 1882. Mr. Buchanan emphasized that 
"the Mirror shall be pure in tone, enterprising in business and news, lucid 
and strong in editorials and staunch in favor of the Republican doctrine." 




White Towers; Home of A. M. Daniels, Ord. 

Judge N. H. Parks soon after this entered the field with The Herald, a 
Democratic paper of much merit. The Mirror suspended publication and 
The Herald was succeeded by The Farmers' Advocate, an independent 
paper. It was first edited by one F. C. Beeman and later by E. E. 
Chamberlain. It too suspended publication on the approach of the hard 
years. 

The only newspaper in North Loup to show much vitality is The Loy- 
alist which has quite an interesting history. When the Burwell Bell was 
burned out and forced to give up the ghost its press, practically all that 
was saved from the fire, was purchased by E. W. Black, who moved it to 
North Loup to become the substantial part of the Loyalist plant there. 
The first issue was printed October 13, 1885. That there should be no 
mistake about its politics, Mr. Black gave his paper this motto: "For the 
party that saved the nation and remembered the veteran, the widow, and 



THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE VALLEY 217 

the orphan." Mr. Black who was quite a naturalist and had many and 
varied interests did not devote much of his time to local affairs. This nat- 
urally did not suit his subscribers. When the irrigation boom was on at 
North Loup, the Loyalist was the mouthpiece for those interests. R. R. 
Thomgate edited the paper for a couple of years as Mr. Black had other 
irons in the tire. Finallv, November 14, 1895, it breathed its last in a very 
caustic editorial, in which Mr. Black took occasion to charge North Loup 
and North Loupers with things which would look anything but complimen- 
tary should they be repeated here. For two years and a half the Loyalist 
lay dormant. Then, April 15, 1898, it was resurrected by E. S. Eves who 
published it for six months only. In turn H. L. Rood and Horace Davis 
took charge of the plant and promised to issue the poor old Loyalist as a 
"non-partisan" paner. Now the former of the two editors was an ardent 
Populist while the latter his been a lite long Djinoarat. No wonder then 
that the Loyalist, in spite of promises to the contrary, came to have certain 
"demo-pop" proclivities. However, it was a good paper. In May, 1899, 
Walter G. Rood, the present editor, purchased the plant and re-established 
it as a Republican pauer. 

The Arcadia Courier was the first paper established in Arcadia, This 
was in April, 1886, and its owner and editor was O. D. Crane. The paper, 
like its successor, The Champion, was Republics in politics. The paper 
continued publication till late in 1890, when it suspended. At that tune 
Arcadia's future looked anything but bright— the drought had killed the 
crops and fire had burned out the heart of the business quarter of the town. 
No wonder then that the editor got discouraged and quit. For rive years 
Arcadia had to get alonn as best she could without a newspaper. Then 
in 1895 the Champion was started by C. L. Day. The first five years it 
eked out a precarious existence under an ever-changing management. In 
March, 1900, the present, hustling editor, Harold O. Cooley, got control of 
the paper and under his management a new future is opening up before it. 
The Willow Springs Gazette was the first newspaper in Garfield county. 
It was established" in 1884 by W. W. Haskell of the Ord Quiz. The paper 
was Republican in politics and was placed under the management of a Mr. 
Rogers. When Willow Srings lost the county seat the Gazette was moved 
to Burwell where it continued publication under the old management till 
it was sold to Jack Evans and backers in 1887. It now became a Demo- 
cratic sheet and was rechristened The Lever. But Garfield county was 
getting mere papers than it could well support, accordingly The Lever was 
suppressed in 1889. 

The first newspaper actually established on Burwell townsite was The 
Burwell Bell, which first appeared Friday, March 6, 1885 with L. M. Hart 
as editor and publisher. Of the paper's politics the editor had this to say 
in this first issue; "Some would call us a Republican because we favor a 
tariff ; others would say we are Greenbacker because we oppose the national 
banking system ; and still others would insist that we area Democrat." 
Mr. Hart evidently intended to run an independent paper, a thing pretty 



218 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



hard to do, especially in a small country town. He said : "We have come 
to stay if we can make it pay." Evidently he did not make it pay for after 
a few short weeks the Bell tolled its last and was no more. 

When the Gazette removed its printing plant from Willow Springs the 
business men there induced William Z. Todd to establish a new paper. 
This he called the Willow Springs Enterprise. It was first published in 
1888. But its career here was destined to be a brief one. The warring 
business interests of the rival towns came to a final understanding in 1889, 
whereby the remaining Willow Springs business houses were removed to 
Burwell. This general exodus forced Mr, Todd to follow suit and re-estab- 
lish himself as best he could in that town. His paper now became the Gar- 
field Enterprise,. Meanwhile W. T. Harriman had founded a secund Bur- 
well paper. The Quaver, in 1887. Mr. Todd purchased this paper and 




A Modern Farm Home on the Loup; Beautiful "Cedar Lawn Farm," owned by A. J. Firkins, Ord. 

merged it with his Enterprise in 1891. Three .years after this he sold his 
newspaper interests and went to Colorado. But he soon longed for the 
flesh-pots of the Loup and came back in 1896, and leased his old paper, 
now, for sake of variety, called The Progress. The name evidently did 
not suit Mr. Todd who speedily redubbed it The Mascot. 

Back in 1888 the Taylor Republican and Loup Valley Alliance were 
bought by a stock company and moved to Burwell. The new sheet was is- 
sued to promote the interests of the Independent party just springing into 
being. Its editorial staff changed rather frequently. Thus in the course 
of its very brief career Wm. Evans, Adolph Alderman, Tom Day and Van 
Mathews all took turn about running it. Then R. L. Miller got control of 
it, changing its name to The Eye. The Mascott in turn absorbed The Eye 
in 1898. S. Hoyt assumed charge of The Mascot in 1899 and changed its 



THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE VALLEY 219 

politics to the Populist faith and the county was without a Republican 
organ. Now Todd founded such a paper and named it The Tribune. But 
the end of changes was not to be here. In 1902 Guy Laverty got control 
of both papers and merged them under the name of the Mascot. For a lit- 
tle over a year this gentleman published it as a Populist paper. In Octo- 
ber, 1903, the last change took place. Then Mr. Todd bought the Mascot 
and changed it to The Tribune, making it at the same time a good Repub- 
lican paper. The Blade, lately started by S. Hoyt, as a Republican organ, 
became superfluous and was soon merged with The Tribune, which is the 
only newspaper in Burwell today. 

Loup county's newspaper history is not so varied as that of Garfield 
county. The Loup County Clarion was established by H. A. Phillips at 
Kent in 1883, and was subsequently moved to Taylor. It changed editors 
from time to time but politics only once. Thus William Croughwell and 
later J. B. Lashbrook, had charge of it. Then came Wm. Evans who ran 
it for a couple of years as a Populist paper It was again re-established as 
a Republican paper by E. Andrews, who edits it at the present time under 
the name of the Taylor Clarion. 

The Loup County News, another Populist paper was founded by R. S. 
Schoffield in 1902. Within the last few months it was sold to J. G. Wirzig 
who says he will make it non partisan. 

Scotia had one of the earliest newspapers in the entire valley the 

Greeely Tribune, established by R. S. Buchanan in 1878. For three years 
the paper was issued as the Republican organ of Greeley county. Then 
Mr. Buchanan moved his plant to North Loup and founded the Mirror. 
A. B. Lewis immediately purchased a new outfit and re-established the Tri- 
bune. Next appeared the Democratic paper, The Index, edited by R. F. 
Clayton, who bobs up from time to time in our newspaper history. But 
his sheet died young and may be passed without further comment. The 
history of the Tribune is anything but thrilling. Continuous change in the 
editorial head and even name will just about tell the whole story. Thus in 
the fall of 1885 Hamlin W. Sawyer came into possession of the plant and 
changed the name to Loup Valley Gazette. In a brief time again it became 
the property of George McAnulty who saw fit to re-dub it the Greeley 
County Graphic. Late in 1888 Mr. McAnulty sold out to W. T. Faucett, 
who called his paper the Scotia Republican. The latter editor actually 
stayed by the paper two whole years and then sold to Henry Alnut, who 
renamed it The Independent. In 1893 W. E. Morgan got possession of it 
and played a bad trick on Scotia by moving paper and all to Greeley 
Center. Here he merged the Independent with the old Greeley Leader un- 
der the name Leader-Independent. This paper is yet published at Greeley 
Center by Tom Hardesty. For almost a year Scotia had' to get along with- 
out a paper. Then, in 1894, Henry C. Waldrip commenced publishing The 
Scotia Register, a Republican paper, which has since been the only paper 
in the town. Away back in 1884 Judge N. H. Parks established the Scotia 
Herald, a strong, well-edited Democratic paper, which continued till 1891 
when it also was moved to Greeley Center. 



The Critical Period in Loup Valley History. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Smiling and beautiful, heaven's dome 
Bends softly o'er our prairie home. 

But the wide, wide lands that stretch away 
Before my eyes in the days of May. 

The rolling prairie's billowy swell 
Breezy upland and timbered dell, 

Stately mansion and hut forlorn — 
Are all hidden by walls of corn. 

All the wide world is narrowed down 

To the walls of corn, now sere and brown. 

What do they hold — these walls of corn, 
Whose banners toss in the breeze of morn ? 

Ellen P. Allerton, "Walls of Corn," 

TVTEBRASKA became a state in 1867. Five years of statehood brought 
■*• ^ much prosperity to the new commonwealth. But soon, after sundry 
warnings, the financial storm of 1873 burst over the nation and state. 
Times became desperately hard. All classes suffered and the rural popu- 
lation in particular became greatly disaffected. The granges which had 
long existed as social organizations, entered politics, forced as it were by 
prevailing economic conditions. "The farmers," they averred, "worked 
harder and more hours than the artisans, had poorer food and fewer privi- 
leges — while the men who handled the farmers' products were better off 
than either farmers or mechanics and were rapidly getting rich." The 
granger movement had an amazing growth. By midsummer of 1873 more 
than 250 granges had been organized. 

The state government was charged with incompetency, existing sys- 
tems of taxation were declared inadequate and unjust. Their chief griev- 
ance was against the great railroad corporations doing business within the 
state. Nor was this without foundation. The Union Pacific and Bur- 
lington systems stubbornly refused to pay taxes on their land grants. 
Various excuses for not paying were trumped up and for years were many 
communities throughout the state unable to collect taxes from these cor- 
porations. 

In Valley county, for example, bonds had been issued for public im- 
provements based on calculations to collect the Burlington railroad tax. 
The county commissioners could not collect a cent for years, and. amusing 



THE CRITICAL PERIOD IN LOUP VALLEY HISTORY 221 

as it now sounds, were threatened with arrest should they not desist. This 
condition of things put our local government in desperate straits. And 
naturally enough left a grudge against the railroads. When the issue was 
finally forced to a head a compromise was agreed upon and one-half of all 
the assessed taxes had to be accepted as sufficient payment of all claims. 

The inadequate revenue system in the state, as mentioned above, was 
another grievance. Many counties flatly refused to pay their taxes. In- 
deed one-third of all the taxes levied in the state between 1869 and 1873 re- 
mained unpaid. At the close of 1873 there were $300,000 in state taxes 
delinquent, and $400,000 in local taxes. Money became extremely stringent 
and farm produce brought shamefully low prices. Then right on top of all 
this came the grasshoppers and devoured the crops and "there was real 
destitution in the sod houses and dug-outs along the border." But it is not 
the purpose to re-tell this sad story now. Let it suffice that the Nebraska 
Relief and Aid Society disbursed $08,000 among the sufferers. Congress 
appropriated both money and seed-grain, and in sundry ways aided the 
homesteaders. Some of this aid reached the Loup, and did much to keep 
the wolf from the door. 

The year 1875 was a dull utie on the Loup. The loss of crops of the 
year before coupled with the general depression existing throughout the en- 
tire state kept newcomers out of the Valley. To add to the gloom crops 
again became a partial failure. Dry weather and locally hatched locusts 
damaged the growing grains and reduced the yield seriously; 1876 was an 
exact repetition of the previous year. 

But a change came. The growing season of 1877 was very favorable 
and farmers harvested abundant crops. The state, too. was slowly recov- 
ering from the panic of 1873. Once again the attention of homesteaders 
was called to the possibilities of tbe beautiful Loup Valley. Many who 
had lost in the desperate game of chance in the days of wildcat speculation 
back East, and others seeking cheap lands, came pouring into the Valley. 
The year 1878 more than quadrupled the acreage of cultivated lands. That 
year, and again 1879, were marked for their fine crops. A population of 
almost 2,200 was now scattered from Scotia to The Forks and further up 
the Loup. 

But these were small things when compared with the great movement 
of settlers just about to begin. The decade 1880-"90 marks a new era of 
prosperity in Nebraska. The long "nightmare of depression" resulting 
from the panic of 1873, was at an end. A substantial class of settlers came 
out of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and other states, eager for homesteads and 
glad to purchase relinquishments from restless pioneers. Wealth and 
population increased many fold. The railroads began building new lines 
to keep up with the general movement. The F., E. & M. V. threw open 
the northern part of the state. The Union Pacific, Burlington and other 
lines initiated a system of expansion, running a network of branch lines 
throughout their part of the state and up every available watercourse and 
into every promising farming community. 



222 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



Prior to this time only the choicest pieces of land had been settled. 
Now white-topped prairie schooners were everywhere visible. Homestead- 
ers and pre-empters quickly culled out the remaining good tracts. But the 
eager scramble for claims did not cease with that. The dry cattle country 
was invaded, and even the sand-hill ranges did not escape. Nowhere was 
the movement more marked than on the Loup. Valley county alone in- 
creased her population more than 30 per cent in six months. All the 
Valley lands were snapped up. The river bluffs showed signs of settle- 
ment. On the edge of the sand-hills sod houses and strips of breaking 
could be seen. It was all one mad rush for land — land in any shape or con- 



t ) 




s 


w 


jLi; 






—a: 


kf/ -i ■•' 








t, \.V 


' ■'■" 






i- 






Ew 


k/1 




' "~ ~ s 


















W"' M 




, i 




i 


■bU 












fBkaM 


& 'J 


Jjj 


■yL: 


\ijL 




1 jS 


w 








MM 





























The Evergreens; Home of Dr. F. D. Haldeman, Ord. 

dition. A cycle of wet years had set in. Crops grew luxuriously every- 
where. Even the high plateaus in the western and northwestern parts of 
the state blossomed like the rose. 

Nebraska entered upon a real estate boom of vast dimensions. The 
speculative fever seized the people. The east had idle capital to invest in 
western lands. A period of borrowing was at hand. People who had no 
idea whatever of making their permanent home there filed on sand-hill 
claims and reared their sod huts close by the smoking blow-out. The head- 
waters of the Loup and Calamus had their quota of these fortune hunters. 
Unscrupulous loan agents, more intent on earning their commissions than 
on serving their eastern principals, were eager to loan money on any kind 
of land. Security for the money seemed to trouble them but little. The 
New England Loan and Trust Co. and other great corporations did a rush- 
ing business in sand-hills and other worthless lands, and to this day do they 
regret ever having heard the name Nebraska spoken. Heaps of crumbling 



THE CRITICAL PERIOD IN LOUP VALLEY HISTORY 



223 



sod yet mark the place where some of these sand-hill speculators reared 

their roofs. 

Another unfortunate feature of all this '-easy money" was the borrow- 
ing habit into which so many fell. All manner of expensive machinery, 
bought on credit, could be seen littering the barnyard or standing unshel- 
tered at some fence corner. The top buggy and carriage began to displace 
the good old lumber wagon. Sundry extravagance was the mark of the 
times. But a dav of reckoning was fast approaching when "tight money" 
and contracted loans were to force many an unfortunate, improvident 

farmer to the wall. 

The cycle of wet years came to an end at last— in. 1890. That year the 
o-rowino- season began propitiously enough, but as time passed the needed 
rains failed to come. Instead, week after week, the hot, burmn- sun 




Home of Hon. Tom Doran of Burwell, Under Construction. 

glared down from a cloudless steel-blue sky. The dread hot winds blew in 
from the south. Day after day they continued. All fodder, small grain 
and corn were cut short. Where farming had been carried on extensively 
rather than intensively the yield amounted to preciously near nothing. The 
careful expert got some returns for his work, though small. The northern 
part of our Vallev fared better than the districts lying farther south, where 
in many places there was not enough fodder gathered to carry the stock 
through the winter. Those of the settlers who had come here poor, and 
who had borrowed freely while money was plentiful now faced a crisis. 
The bubble of speculation suddenly burst. Pay-day was at hand and where 
should the monev come from? , 

Right here the critical period in Loup Valley history begins. Ihe 



224 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



years from 1890 to 1896 were crucial in our development, and may justly 
be marked as the most important six years we have known. The import- 
ance of this test period can hardly be overestimated for it marked the com- 
mencement of a struggle for the betterment of economic conditions, which 
lias already led to a more solid prosperity in our Valley. The year 1890 
found the nation entering a period of financial stringency. This taken to- 
gether with crop failures resulted locally in hard times, chronic dissatis- 
faction and much real suffering. The cry against existing conditions of 
things came from the farm. The Farmers' Alliance, at first a purely agri- 
cultural organization, entered politics to find a panacea for the ills of the 
times. Memorable days were at hand. Midsummer of 1890 beheld 1,500 
Farmers' Alliances in the field with a membership of 50,000. "There were 
no crops to gather so the people gathered in numbers never seen before or 







The Charles I. Bragg Residence, Burwell. 

since, out in the groves away from the towns. Farmers' Alliance parades 
seven and eight miles long were among the sights of the campaign, and 
the enthusiasm of the monster meetings defied description. Everywhere 
there was a breaking away from former political affiliation, and the chorus, 
'Good bye, Old Party, Good-bye,' was chanted with religious ferver by 
thousands of throats." In the November election the new People's In- 
dependent party won an overwhelming victory, gaining control of the 
state legislature and electing two out of three congressmen. The work of 
reform began. On the Loup old-time Republican strongholds became in 
turn fastnesses for the new party. The farmer had spoken and — acted. In 
many respects he blundered, as all reformers will; but none can deny that 
much good has come and is yet to come from this political revolution — and 



THE CRITICAL PERIOD IN LOUP VALLEY HISTORY 



225 



it was a revolution. The People's Independent party may never live to 
reap the fruits of its efforts — for it was untrue to its own fundamental prin- 
ciples — but it has served a period of inestimable usefulness all the same, 
and the community, state and nation are the winners. 

In a purely economic sense the hard years had a remarkable effect upon 
our community. The disgruntled ones and all who lacked the natural 
thrift to surmount the many hardships of those times became weeded out. 
This left the sturdiest and" best of the old population in possession of the 
Valley, and opened the way for a new class of farmers and business men, 
possessed of better methods of farming and ample capital to make the most 
of the riches hidden in our fertile soil. But this is getting ahead of our 
story. To get back to the dry years : 




Home of Harry Coffin, Burwell. 

The growing season of 1891 fortunately yielded good crops and eased 
conditions materially. '92 and '93 were rather dry though fair crops were 
harvested where hailstorms had not already spared the garnerer his trou- 
ble. Then came the never-to-be-forgotten drought year 1894. And who 
can ever forget that year ! 

The spring and summer of 1894 was marked by unusual meteorological 
phenomena. Rainfall was withheld for months from the great plains and 
portions of the central prairies. All moisture seemed to disappear from 
the atmosphere. In sections even spring rains failed to come. There was 
hardly enough moisture in the soil to germinate the seed. Where it sprang 
up it was only to be withered by the blasting winds. The sun set at night 
in a sickly yellowish glare only to rise morning after morning upon a hope- 
less, steel-blue sky. Crops died. The loose soil from the dusty fields filled. 



230 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

ish naval service. Thus during the Dano-German War of 1864 he took 
part in the battle of Heligoland where the Danish fleet defeated and put to 
flight the united German and Austrian naval forces. Soon after the war 
he came to America, spending four years in Illinois and Missouri. In 
April, 1872, as told elsewhere in the book, he came to Valley county and 
settled upon the southwest quarter of the famous section 8, Ord township. 
Here, on July 6, 1873, he was married to Johanne Mortensen, thus making 
good his right to having been the first man married in the new county. 
They have six children who have grown up to be useful members of soci- 
ety. The Andersons still own their old homestead although .they have for 
many years made their home on a timber-claim near Ord. They have ac- 
cumulated much of this world's goods, and are growing old in our midst, 
respected and honored by all who know them. 

AYERS, C. M. — Is perhaps one of the best known of all the early set- 
tlers in the neighborhood of North Loup. He was born in Clark county, 
Ohio, in July, 1838. His father died when he was but a small boy and so 
in 1854 he and his mother moved to Rock county, Wisconsin. In 1861 he 
enlisted in Co. E. 5th Wisconsin Infantry and served till July, 1864. While 
leading the life of a soldier he was engaged in the battles of Williamsburg, 
Savage Station, Antietam, two battles at Predricksburg. Gettysburg, 
Wilderness and several others of importance. In September, 1872, Mr. 
Ayers was married and in October of the same year made a trip to the 
North Loup Valley where he took a homestead and then immediately went 
back to Wisconsin for his wife. He returned in April, 1873, and has been 
a resident of Valley county ever since. In 1892 he retired from hard work 
on account of an injury received while in the army and subsequent bad 
health. He is now a resident of North Loup. 

BABCOCK, OSCAR, — Legislator, postmaster, farmer and stock-raiser, 
came to Valley county, Neb., and located on a homestead at what is now a 
part of North Loup, in November, 1872. This is now a thriving village 
containing about five hundred people. The village was laid out by J. A. 
Green, under the supervision of Mr. Babcock, July 17, 1874, on the north- 
east quarter of section 35, town 18, range 13, with an addition laid out in 
June, 1881, by Oscar Babcock; second addition made in May, 1882. Mr. 
Babcock was president of a Seventh-Day Baptist colony which was organ- 
ized in Waushara county, Wis., which colony settled in North Loup in May, 
1872. Mr. B. arrived with his family in November of the same year. His 
wife died in Waushara, Wisconsin, in the fall of 1872. They have four 
children.— Edwin J., Arthur E., Myra and George J. Mr. B, with his 
small children settled in a dug-out fourteen feet square and lived there un- 
til the summer of 1873, when he erected a red cedar block house. He was 
pastor of the Seventh-Day Baptist Church for more than five years, preach- 
ing the first sermon in a small grove on the bank of the North Loup River, 
in May, 1872, to a congregation of twenty-five pioneers. He was appointed 
agent of immigration for Valley county. He has been postmaster off and 
on ever since January, 1873. He was born in Cattaraugas county, N. Y., 



BIOGRAPHICAL 231 

March 15, 1831, and lived in his native state until 1819. His family then 
moved to Rock county, Wis., where he attended school lor live years, then 
to Waushara county, Wis., being the first of the pioneers in the then wilds 
of central Wisconsin. He is a self-educated and thoroughly practical busi- 
ness man. His first wife's maiden name was Metta A. Bristol, of New 
York state. He was again married in 1877, to Miss Hattie E. Payn of North 
Loud, who died in February, 1880. Mr. B. was a member of the Wisconsin 
Legislature in 1865-66; was elected Probate Judge of Valley county, hold- 
ing the office one term; was County Superintendent of schools one term; in 
the Nebraska State Legislature in 1879. Elder Babeock is the president of 
the "Old settlers' Meeting" of the North Loup Valley and does much to 
further the interest in this organization. 

BABCOCK, HEMAN A.— who but lately died while holding the office 
of Deputy State Treasurer under Peter Mortensen, is one of the early trail- 
ers whose memory will long be cherished on the Loup. He came to North 
Loup, May 15, 1872, and located on a homestead in section 2, township 19, 
range 13. He was the first sheriff of Valley county, and held the office 
of clerk from 1876 to 1882. Later he was elected president of the First 
National Bank at Ord and then Auditor of the State of Nebraska. Since 
that time he has held many lucrative positions of trust under the various 
state administrations. He was born in Cattaraugas county, New York, 
May 19, 1842. He later removed with his parents to Wisconsin. He en- 
listed in 1863 in Co. G., Thirty-Seventh Reg., Wisconsin Volunteer Infan- 
try and was mustered out in 1865 as Sergeant Major. After spending some 
years in Minnesota he joined the Seventh-Day Baptist colony of Waushara 
county, Wisconsin, at North Loup. He was married August 28, 1862, to 
Retta O. Bristol of Kenosha county, Wisconsin. They have two grown 
sons, Everett C. and Royal O. 

BABCOCK, N. W.— was born in Shelby county. Ohio, in 1844. When 
he was ten years old his parents took up their home in Iowa where he lived 
till 1872. At this time he moved to Nebraska and took a pre-emption 
claim about three and one-half miles southeast from North Loup. In the 
following year he purchased his present farm and has lived there and in 
North Loup ever since. Mr. Babcock has always been a farmer and a 
glance at his well kept place will satisfy everyone that he has been success- 
ful in his chosen calling. 

BADGER, DR. CHARLES— was born in Kingsbury, Washington 
county, N. Y., on the 21st of March, 1824. He lived in his native state un- 
til eighteen years of age, during the last three years of which he taught 
in the public school of his native town. From this time until the age of 
twenty-two he studied theology. From twenty-two to twenty-seven years 
of age he studied medicine and clerked in a store. On June 9, 1851, he 
went before Drs. Johnson and Bartlett, of Milwaukee, Censors of the State 
Medical examiners, and upon their recommendaton received the society's 
diploma at the hands of Alfred L. Castleman, who was then president of 
the society. In the same month he commenced the practice of medicine 



228 THE TRAIL OP THE LOUP 

selves to our peculiar climatic conditions. In years gone by they clung to 
their corn and spring wheat. There was a strange notion abroad that 
winter wheat could not be grown with profit in the North Platte country. 
This delusion has long been exploded, and winter wheat is now one of our 
most important crops. Alfalfa has solved the fodder question. This 
remarkably prolific plant seems to have settled for good all fear of a repe- 
tition of dry seasons. Even should droughts again strike the Valley the 
alfalfa, the bromegrass and the English bluegrass would be pretty sure to 
give "roughness" sufficient to keep our large herds in plenty. 

The past decade has wrought an economic revolution in the North and 
Middle Loup Valleys. Prosperity is manifest on every hand The farmer 
has become independent. His granaries and sheds are full to bursting; 
his pastures are dotted with herds of blooded cattle. Pine modern homes 
supplant the humbler dwellings of yesterday. Dugouts and sod houses are 
even now becoming curiosities belonging to an era of beginnings now well- 
nigh spent. Towns and villages are taking on metropolitan airs. Modern 
conveniences which a few years ago would have been deemed luxuries are 
found in every well-appointed home. Real estate values have increased 
marvelously; and yet is is not an artificial increase but the legitimate result 
of prosperous times and continued good crops. 

Three decades back this remarkable region was a great "unfenced buf- 
falo pasture," its virgin soil all untouched by the ploughshare. Today it is 
the home of thousands of prosperous families and its annual output of crops 
runs high into the millions. Then there was not a school nor a church nor 
a printing press in the Valley. Today these are everywhere disseminating 
the wisdom and morality which has given us high place in the sisterhood 
of counties forming our great commonwealth. Today a race of clear-vis- 
ioned. broad-minded men and women, dwelling on high-land plateau and in 
lowland valley unite in grateful praise of the first comers who opened the 
trail of the Loup and made all of this prosperity possible. 



The Brave Men and Women who Opened the "Trail of the Loup." 

Biographical. 



CHAPTER XX 

This suction of the work is devoted to very brief biographical sketch- 
es of the brave men and women who opened the trail of the Loup. We 
should have said some of the brave men and women, for it has been prac- 
tically impossible to see personally all who deserve a place here. It is to 
be regretted that all olp-timers did not send in their biographies as they 
were invited to do through the press of the Valley. Space was offered free 
to every pioneer and if advantage was not taken of this the fault must lie 
with him rather than with the author. Some who are prominently men- 
toned in the main body of the text are not mentioned in this list. 



Valley County. 

ADAMS, A. S.— Mr. A. S. Adams was born in Hounsville, N. Y., 
Sept. 18, 1832. When he was but three years old his parents moved to Pil- 
lar Point, in Jefferson County, N. Y. Here he lived 
till the winter of 1852 when being taken with the 
"Gold Fever" which was so prevalent at that time 
he set sail in the South Hampton, a store ship under 
Commodore Perry, and landed in Placer County, Cal- 
ifornia, the following spring. He now lived the life 
of a miner till August, 1861, when he enlisted in the 
jfgjfa Union army. Upon being discharged some three 

|M|mJJ^ years and twenty one days later, he went to New 
York and married Miss Kathrina Nay in the fall of 
I I the same year. In the spring of 1874 he came to 

Valley county where he has since lived on his beautiful farm on Turtle 
Creek. His wife died October 28, 1901. 

ANDERSON, NIELS— is one of the "original five" Danes who settled 
north of Ord in the spring of 1872. He was born at Arendlev, Denmark, 
August 12, 1841. In his old country home he spent much time in the Dan- 



226 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



the stifling air of Was heaped by the winds in dunes in the tall, dead grass 
of former seasons. Was it surprising that men should despair then? Fod- 
der for stock could not be procured locally. Those who had none laid by 
from the pittance of past years were obliged to sell their stock or almost 
give it away. The market was glutted with lean cattle and hogs so that it 
shortly fell to a shamefully low figure. Many a farmer slaughtered his 
old work-horses to help keep a few brood sows alive over winter. Destitu- 
tion in our central and western counties became great. The legislature ap- 
propriated $250,000 for seed and food for the sufferers, besides $28,000 re- 
ceived in private donations. The Loup suffered with the rest of the state, 
and for the first time in its historv had to accent aid from the outside. And 




Home of Vincent Kokes, Ord. with Eret's Band in Foreground. 

yet it is but fair to add that most of those who accepted aid were of the im- 
provident class who have long ago left the Valley. 

But the dread summer came to an end at last. A mild, open winter fol- 
lowed providentially. Much cattle which might otherwise have perished 
came through the season in fair condition. Then came spring and summer 
of 1895 and with them an increase in rainfall. Unfortunately many of our 
people had lost heart and did not dare to risk too large a seeding. Others 
were too poor to put in much of an acreage. This resulted in a fairly good 
though limited acreage for the year. It was a season of beginnings — of 
preparations for greater things to be. The spring of 1896 was auspicious 
and the sluices of Heaven opened to a grateful earth. Abundant crops 
sprang from the rested soil and people tried in their joy to forget the 
nightmare of the past. 



THE CRITICAL PERIOD IN LOUP VALEEY HISTORY 



227 



The storms were indeed past. An adverse fate left the Valley- 
dwellers wiser and better equipped to cope witn the problems of the future. 
They had passed through a stern school and experience is ever an exacting 
master. Six years of adversity had taught two important lessons— the 




value of money and the imperative need of a more intensive system of 
farming. Both lessons have taken deep root. The future can never again 
repeat the failures of the past. For the Loup the experimental stage has 
been safely passed. Our farmers have at last learned how to adapt them- 



232 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



with A. L. Castleman at Delafield, Waukesha county, Wis. On March 31, 
1853, he was married to Samantha L. Maxon. They have two children — 
Katie M. and Hettie S. Badger. While living in Wisconsin, Katie married 
Mr. W. J. Holliday, railroad contractor. Hettie S. married James Vernon, 
an English gentleman. Dr. Badger graduated March 14, 1871, at the Chi- 
cago Medical College, the Medical department of the Northwestern Univer- 
sity, receiving the college and university seals. He practiced medicine in 
Waukesha, Dodge, Dane and Rock counties, Wis., McHenry county, 111., 
and Clinton county Iowa. In the spring of 1872, he came to Valley county, 
Nebr., and located on section 26, town 17; broke 120 acres, took a timber 
claim and broke forty acres, and planted twenty in trees. He practiced 
medicine in Valley, Sherman, Howard, Greeley and Taylor counties for 
nearly eight years, when overwork and failing health compelled him to 
abandon it. He was appointed by the Governor to register votes of Valley 
county ; was coroner three terms, justice of peace one term, first county 
superintendent of public instruction for Valley county, fought through the 
first public highway, built the first bridge and gave to North Loup its 
name. The venerable doctor spends his declining years at the comfortable 
family home in the town he helped to found. 

BAILEY, DANIEL COOLEY,— the grand old man of the Loup, was 
born in New York State, October 15, 1820. which makes him now more 
than 85 years old. He was married April 6, 1845, to Susan E. Dale. They 
have four children, Mary, George, Harry and Prank. Leaving New York 
the Bailey family sojourned for some years in Wisconsin and came on west 
to Nebraska and the Loup in 1872. They came overland by way of Nance 
county and reached the site of their future home September 3, 1872. 
Prom the first Mr. Bailey was one of the pillars of the upper colony. When 
Valley county was ora^nized in 1873 he was elected one of the first board 
of commissioners and as such performed his duty well. Wnen the Indian 
scares of 1873 stirred the settlements his cabin became a rallying point; 
when later needy wayfarers happened up on the north side of the Loup, 
they could expect a hearty welcome from Grandpa and Grandma Bailey, for 
their latchstring always swung inward. Now that declining years are be- 
ginning to set their stamp upon these staunch first-comers they may at any 
rate have the satisfaction of having lived to see the once virgin valley be- 
come a part of the great American Commonwealth in riches and in fact. 

BARKER, THOMAS O.,— one of the first settlers of Mira Valley was 
Thomas O. Barker. He was born in Almond, Alleghany county, New 
York, July 24, 1838. In 1856 he moved to Milton, Wsconsin. He celebrated 
New Year's Day of 1861 by taking Miss Mary A. Needham as a helpmeet. 
Because of failing health he came to the Loup couniry in June, 1873, taking 
one of the first homesteads in Mira Valley. Mr. Barker died July 8, 1897. 
Mrs. Barker and the two oldest sons now farm the homestead. The young- 
est son is a physician in one of the leading hospitals of London, England. 

BANCROPT, RUFUS W.— One of the first comers to the Loup and 
one of the first set of county commissioners, spent his early life in Michigan, 



BIOGRAPHICAL 233 

where he was born in March, 1826. He arrived with his family in Spring- 
dale early in the spring of 1873 and was for many years a leader in public 
life. Of his three children Emma C, S. T. and Libbie May, the former 
married William A. Hobson, August 10, 1873, and as such was the second 
white woman married in Valley county. Mr. Hobson set up the first 
blacksmith shop in the upper Loup, first in Springdale and later at Fori 
Hartsuff where he became the post smith. After a time again he moved 
his shop to Calamus and then to Ord. He died after a lingering illness, 
June 13, 1883. leaving a wife and one daughter Cora, behind. 

BARTZ, FREDERICK— was born in Pomraerania, Germany, Novum 
ber 4, 1841,. Here he lived till he was about 18 years old when he moved 
to the vicinity of Berlin. When 28 years old he married Miss Augusta 
kSchoning. Hearing of the possibilities of this country through his broth- 
er-in-law, Mr. Otto Schoning, they came to the U. S. in the fall of 1877 and 
settled in Valley county about six miles north of North Loup. Here they 
have lived since. 

BEE, N.— is a native of West Virginia in which state he was born in 
1837. He moved to Minnesota in 1805 where he lived for twelve years. In 
1877 he moved to Vailey county and settled on a farm near North Loup. 
Mr. Bee has followed farming principally as an occupation although he did 
spend four years as a merchant in North Loup. 

BENSON, DANIEL— Mr. Daniel Benson was born in Steuben county, 
New York, October 31, 1839. When he was twelve years oid his parents 
moved to Lake county, Illinois. Here he grew to manhood and on August 
2, 1862. enlisted in Co. G. 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served till 
June 11, 1865. On December 26 of the same year he took unto himself as a 
wife a Miss Shotswell. They came to Platte county, Nebraska, in 1869, 
only to remove to the Loup country and homestead in Greeley county in 
1873. Here they resided till Feb. 2, 1899, when Mr. Benson died. Mrs. 
Benson bought her present home in North Loup in 1903 and has since made 
this her home. 

BOETTGER, CONRAD— was born near the city of Cassel in Germany 
in 1841 where he lived the first 24 years of his life. Then coining to Ameri- 
ca he spent several years in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 
1869 he arrived at Wautoma, Wisconsin, and in the winter of the year he 
married a Miss Hannah Nickell. In the spring of 1874 they came to Mira 
Valley and on May 9 homesteaded their present home farm. Mr. Boettger 
is one of Mira Valley's prominent farmers and is very much interested in 
horticulture. 

BURDICK, AMOS R.— was born April 27, 1827, in Scott, Courtland 
county, N. Y. Here he grew to manhood and on August 27, 1852, married 
a Miss Martha Spencer. Immediately they went to Waupaca county, Wis- 
consin, where they resided till shortly before the Civil War when they 
moved to Milton, Wisconsin. In 1861 Mr. Burdick enlisted in the 13th 
Wisconsin Infantry, Co. B., and for four long years he served as a soldier 
of the federal government. In the spring of 1872 they homesteaded in 



238 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

FLYNN, MARILLA — The first white woman in Valley county was 
Marilla Frederick who came here with her father in July 1872. She was 
at that time a young lady of about 15 years of age. In 1877 she went to 
Omaha where she met a young soldier named Flynn who was stationed at 
Ft. Omaha. He was soon afterwards transferred to Ft. Laramie, Wyom- 
ing, where they were married the following year, in July, 1885, they re- 
turned to Valley county where they lived on various rented farms till Mr. 
Flynn's death, April 18, 1895. In 1900 Mrs. Flynn bought her present farm 
just cornering on her father's old homestead in Springdale. 

FREY, CHRISTIAN — was one of the "original five" in the Danish 
colony above Ord. He was of course a native of Denmark and came to 
the United States in 1871, hoping here to better himself financially. We 
have already told how he reached Valley county and about his first exciting 
adventure here. He remained a bachelor on his claim for a number of 
years, when he returned to Denmark where he met and married an esti- 
mable Danish lady, who returned with him from a home of affluence to 
share his frontier life. Five chldren have been born to them of whom four 
— Mary, Kate, Ericka and James — are living. Mr. Frey remained on his 
old homestead through all the years of beginnings and hardships and has 
succeeded in laying by a goodly bit of properly for a rainy day. A few 
months ago he disposed of his old homestead, returning to old Denmark 
with the intention of spending the rest of his days there. But the call 
from over the ocean blue was too strong for him and he is again back in 
the Loup where he will no doubt be content to remain for the rest of his 
days. 

GOODENOW, M. B— "It is something to be able to say that for a 
whole season I was the outermost settler on the Loup. No man dwelt be- 
tween my claim and the Black Hills." This boast could truly be given by 
Mellville B. Goodenow in the summer of '72. Then he was our outpost. 
But that has been 1old elsewhere. He was born in New York state in 1844 
and was brought up by his grandparents as his mother died when he was 
born. In '61 when only 17, he enlisted and served through the Civil War. 
Be was mustered out in the spring of '66 and then moved to Woodbury 
county, Iowa, remaining there till 1872 when he set out across country for 
the Loup. He married a Miss Coffin in 1869 and has four children — one 
son and three daughters. 

GREEN, H. I. — was born in Walworth county, Wis., in 1859. When 
he was but four years old his parents moved to Minnesota. In the fall of 
1877 he moved to the town of Calamus just south of Fort Hartsuff. Dur- 
ing the next spring he moved to his present farm about two and one half 
miles northwest of North Loup. Mr. Green has always been a farmer and 
a glance at his place will be enough to convince any one that he has been 
successful in this line. He held the office of county supervisor in 1901-1902 
but has held no other public office. He was married in 1883 to Miss Em- 
ma Brace. 

GREEN, JOSEPH A.— a native of the Green Mountain State, was 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



239 



born in 1832. When but a child his parents moved to Berlin. New York, 
where he stayed till 1853. During the next few years he traveled through 
New Jersey, Illinois and Kansas, stopping at varions places in these states 
but never making his home at any place for any length of years. In 1872 
Mr. Green came to Valley county and settled one and one-half miles south 
of North JLoup and has lived there ever since. He at one time owned forty 
acres of the original townsite of North Loup. Mr. Green is a farmer by 
occupation yet his ability as a mechanic came in handy in the early years 
when all sorts of machinery was scarce. 

GREEN, W. B. — was one of those natives of New York state who has 
spent most of his years in this western country. He was born in Alleghany 

county, New York, March 25, 1849. "When but 
five years old he moved to Milton, Wis. Here he 
spent his time as a farmer until 1873 when he 
came to Nebraska and took up a clnim on the very 
place on which he now resides, about live miles 
southwest from North Loup. Mr. Green worked 
on Fort Hartsuff during the summer of 1875. He 
4y i ,; v was married in 1877. In 1878 he was with Albert 

_^J^^f|T^^^ Cottrell in that terrible October prairie fire in 
which Mr. Cottrell was burned to death. 
■ B Even to this day Mr. Green bears scars that re- 

mind him of that awful disaster.' 

GREEN, W. L. — is a native of New York, who was born in Jefferson 
county in 1833. In 1855 he was married and started toward the west. Only 
one year was spent in Illinois while the next eight were spent in Wisconsin. 
In 1804 they moved to Minnesota which place remained their home until 
they came to Nebraska and settled in Valley county in 1877. Mr. Green 
has always been a farmer and has worked his farm which lies two and one- 
half miles north of North Loup until about eight years ago, when he moved 
to town where he has lived ever since. 

HARRISON, W. H. — has, by his sterling qualities, shown himself 
worthy of carrying the name of a former president of the United States. 

He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1853. 
Here he lived for six years when he moved Lo 
Missouri where he lived till after the Civil War. 
At this time he moved to Kansas and finally in 
1874 to Nebraska and settled on the place where 
he now lives, about nine miles southwest from 
Ord. 

HASKELL, S. S.— Sylvester Smith Haskell, 
the father of early Ord, was born December 7, 
1822, at Stockholm, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., 
where his early life was spent. His father was a 
w. H. Harrison. millwright, and living in the pine region the son 

naturally enough became a sawyer, which trade he followed many years. 



1 




236 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

CRANDALL, ALPHA M. was born in Milton, Wis., December 11, 
1852. When 14 years of age his parents moved to Illinois where he was 
raised as a farmer. Late in October, 1878, he came to Valley county and 
homesteaded six miles from North Loup. On May 25, 1882, he married a 
Miss Rood. Then for ten years they lived on their farm. In 1892 they 
moved to North Loup where they still live. 

CRANDALL, MAXON— one of North Loup's oldest inhabitants was 
born in Alleerhany county, N. Y. away back in 1827. He was brought up 
and received his schooling there. For many years he followed the profes- 
sion of a mechanic. He was early married to Elizabeth Lily, by whom he 
has had six children, three of whom are living. When he took up the 
westward march it was to halt for some time in Wisconsin and Minnesota, 
and finally in 1879, to move to Nebraska. Here he has farmed and in vari- 
ous ways made an honest living. He is now retired at the ripe age of 78. 

DAVIS, A. J. — Though not of the first immigration to Valley county, 
another .early settler is Mr. A. J. Davis of North Loup. He was born in 
Salem county, West Virginia, December 21, 1829. When but a boy of nine 
his parents moved to Ft. Jefferson, Ohio, where Mr. Davis gained his 
majority. Soon afterwards he went to Peoria, 111. Later he removed to 
Welton, Iowa. Here he met a Miss Esther S. Worth whom he married on 
October 25, 1857. In May, 1874 these people moved to North Loup and 
here Mrs. Davis passed away November 22, 1893. Mr. Davis has carried 
the mail ever since the railroad came to North Loup. 

DAVIS, HENRY S.— was born in 1844 in Louis county, N .Y. At the 
age of twelve he came to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and grew to man- 
hood there. He was a member of the 22nd Wisconsin Regiment and served 
actively for three years. After the Civil War he moved to Minnesota 
where he pursued farming for twelve years. He came to North Loup in 
1877 and took a homestead three-quarters of a mile from town. Later he 
was proprietor of the Union Hotel of North Loup for three years. Since 
that time he has been at different times liveryman, farmer, etc. September 
28, 1867, he was married to Abbie F. Greene. They are the parents of six 
children. 

DAVIS, NEWTON— was born in Ohio in 1834. When but ten years 
old his parents moved to Rock county, Wis., where he lived for nearly 
twenty years. In 1861 he married a Miss Clement and after two years took 
up his home in Minneseota. In 1868 they turned their faces towards the 
west and after spending six years in Iowa finally landed in this Eldorado 
of the West, the great North Loup Valley. Their home was now on a farm 
about eight miles south of North Loup. In 1891 they came to North Loup 
where Mr. Davis died in June 1903, his sorrowing wife surviving him. 

FLINT, E. R. — was born in Lincolnshire England, in 1850. He was 
married in 1869. He was a farmer until 1870 when he moved to Sheffield, 
England. While here he worked for one of those big steel manufacturing 
companies which make Sheffield [cutlery so famous all over the world to- 
day. In 1874 he came to the United States and settled in the Loup Valley. 




BIOGRAPHICAL 237 

While here he'worked on Fort Hartsuff. Two years lat«r he moved to Kent 
county, Michigan, which remained his home till 1888. At that time he re- 
turned to the Loup Valley. Since 1888 he has lived for five years in Cotes- 
field and the remainder of the time on Davis Creek and near North Loup. 
EAST, HENRY T.— was born in London, England, in 1826. Here he 
followed the occupation of his forefathers, that of a 
tanner, until 1847 when he came to the United 
States. He enlisted as a soldier in the Mexican War 
and was at «the surrender of Mexico City. When 
discharged he went to Vincennes, Indiana, and en- 
gaged as a merchant. He married a Miss Presnell 
in 1853. In February, 1865, he enlisted in Co. K. 
149th Indiana Regiment and continued as a soldier 
till September 27th of the same year. In 1867 he 
moved to Wisconsin where he stayed for six years. 
At the end of this time he came to Nebraska and sol 
tied in Valley county. He worked at the occupation of tanning for a long 
time. He died in June, 1902, leaving a wife and family behind to mourn 
his loss. 

FOGHT, EMIL JOHN,— the father of the author of the Trail of the 
Loup, was born sixty-four years ago in historic old Fredrickshall, Nor- 
way, the son of a well-to-do merchant and ship owner. He was educated in 
the Latin school and nautical school of his native town and at an early dale 
went to sea. While yet a stripling boy he was made first mate and soon 
after captain of the schooner Aurora, which sailed chiefly between the Bal- 
tic and French ports. In the seventies the Aurora was lost on the French 
const and Captain Foght received command of the large bark Laura, so 
named after his wife, Laura Arneberg Foght. This vessel was owned 
chiefly by the Foght family and proved more or less of a hoodoo from the 
first. To several severe losses caused by storms at sea came the serious 
competition with swift steamships then just beginning to make inroads on 
the shipping of the sailships. After a long and hopeless fight against the 
new carriers he gave up and retired to terra firma. Then after some un- 
fortunate mercantile ventures at Fredrickshall he came to the United Statos 
in 1879, making Yankton, Dakota Territory, his home for a few months. 
Here he took service as a government freighter, going first to Fort Robin- 
son and later to the newly constructed Fort Niobrara. At the latter place 
he was joined by his family in the summer of .1881, they having made their 
journey of 7000 miles from old Norway alone. For a few months the 
Foghts squatted on a claim near Rosebud Agency but were forced into the 
fort by the Spotted Tail-Crow Dog uprising. They now left overland for 
OrJ, where they arrived early in September, 1881. From that time on the 
family has been associated with Valley county and its development. Of 
the seven children living, the oldest daughter, Valborg, is married to Jor- 
gen Miller, and the oldest son, Harold W., who has also penned this book, 
married Alice Mabel, youngest daughter of A. M. Robbins of Ord. 



234 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



9§x?i •&' 







Valley county just across the river from the old Stewart place. From 
1883 to 1889 these people lived in Rushville, Nebr. They then took up 
their residence in Plimona, California. Here they resided till in 1903 when 
on a visit to their daughter, Mrs. Stewart, Mr. Burdick died. His wile 
still lives in Plimona. 

BOWER, CHARLEY— Although Charley Bower 
was born in Baden, Germany, in 1851 it is hardly 
possible that he remembers very many experiences 
that took place in the old country for his parents 
moved to America when he was but six months old. 
His first home in this land was in Preeport, Illinois, 
where he resided until he came of age. The next 
three years of his life were spent in Omaha, after 
which time he came to the North Loup valley and 
settled on this present farm in 1874. Mr. Bower 
has always been a successful farmer and stock raiser. 
CHASE, HENRY A.— was born in Jefferson county N. Y., in 1837. 
He received the rudiments of his education here and 
when eighteen years of age moved to Wisconsin. 
Here he completed his education at Albion Academy. 
He enlisted in the Union Army and served till Aug- 
ust '65. His war record is a very honorable one. 
He was seriously wounded in the explosion and suc- 
ceeding disastrous charge before Petersburg. Later 
he was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox. 
At the close of the war he returned to Wisconsin; 
thence he moved to Minnesota and later to Mis- 
souri, where he dwelt thirteen years. In 1859 he 
married Delia Babcock, a sister of Oscar and Heman A. Babcock. He has 
one daughter, Nellie E. Black. The family came to North Loup in 1879, 
when Mr. Chq.se bought one quarter of the section on which North Loup 
is located. Mr. Chase has been a lifelong Republican, casting his first 
vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has been a member of the county board off 
and on for twelve years and a member of the North Loup school board for 
more than twenty years. 

CHRISTIAN, PETER— is probably one of the best known men from 
the neighborhood of Arcadia. He was born in Denmark May 18, 1848. In 
1867 he came to Wisconsin where he lived as a farmer till 1874. He then 
moved to Indiana from which place, after a three years' stay, he a ue to this 
valley. At first he bought some railroad land at $1.25 per acre and in 1880, 
being well pleased with the country, be took up his claim about three miles 
north from Arcadia. In 1884 he purchased his present farm near town. 

COLLINS, W. G.— was born in Alleghany county, New York, in 1845. 
In 1863 he moved to Wisconsin where he lived for nine years, engaged as a 
farmer. In 1872 he came to Valley county and settled on the same farm en 
which he now resides. Mr. Collins is one of the best known and mo.^t 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



235 




highly respected citizens of this valley. While a member of the first mil- 
itia organized in this county, he was called out three times on account of 
Indian scares but never came into any active engagement. His daughter, 
who was born January 30, 1873, bears the distinction of being the very first 
white child born in Valley county. 

COLBY, H. M.— was born in the state of Maine in February, 1836. 
When 17 years old he came to Wisconsin, which 
state remained his home till 1876. On July 24, 1861, 
he was married and nine days afterwards enlisted 
in Co. I., 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. From this time 
on to the time of his discharge he never received a 
furlough and never saw his bride. In February of 
the following year Mr. Green re-enlisted in Co. E, 
9th Illinois Cavalry and served eight months. Dur- 
ing his life as a soldier he fought in many of the 
most important battles of the war, including 2nd 
Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, siege of Petersburg and several others. After 
the war he returned to Wisconsin where he lived till September, 1876, when 
he came to Greeley county, Nebraska, and took up a claim about four 
miles northeast of North Loup. In 1882 he moved to town where he has 
lived ever since. 

COOMBS, MINGERSON— is a native of Knox county, Me., and when 
13 years of age moved with his parents to LaPorte county, Ind., where he 
worked on a farm until of age. He then opened a store in New Carlisle, 
Ind. His next move was to Berrien county, Mich., where he bought a fruit 
farm, and four years later, in 1873, sold out and came to Valley county. 
He located a homestead and a tree claim, and has probably accomplished 
what no other man in the United States has, to- wit, taking a timber claim 
under the original timber culture act, which required the actual planting 
and cultivation of forty acres of timber. This he successfully accomplished 
and now has one of the finest bodies of timber in the state, many of the 
trees being two feet in diameter. He still owns both quarter sections, 
with 230 acres under a high state of cultivation, besides 67 acres adjacent 
to Ord with 50 acres under cultivation. Mr. Coombs has been a prominent 
factor in Ord having held many positions of trust and honor. He has cred- 
itably filled the offices of County Commissioner, County Surveyor, County 
Superintendent of schools and Mayor of the city. He is also a representa- 
itve business man and one of the most highly respected citizens. 

COON, J. L. — was born in Alleghany county, New York, in 1840. His 
parents moved to Wisconsin when he was but a child and this continued his 
home till 1860. Then he went to Minnesota and lived there as a farmer 
till 1877 when he came to Nebraska and settled near Fort Hartsuff. In 
1893 he went to Oregon but like most of the other folks who move away 
from the Loup Valley he returned in 1895, He is now engaged in the feed 
business in Burwell. 



240 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

He came of sturdy stock, the Putnams of revolutionary times being among 
his lineal ancestors. December 5, 1843, he was married to Miss Harriet E. 
Soper and for a few vears they lived in St. Lawrence county, but in 1849 he 
removed with his family to DeKalb county, 111 , and filed on a quarter sec- 
tion of land in that then wild country. He. had a hard struggle here to 
make ends meet as he came west a poor man. Two years of toil in the 
saw-mills at Two Rivers, Wis., enabled him to build a comfortable dwelling 
house on the Illinois claim, but this unfortunately was burned to the ground 
on the very day of its completion. The set-back was a severe one, but he 
accepted the situation bravely and clung to the farm in spite of misfortune 
and hardship, and called it home for twenty five years. During this time 
he reared his large family and saved a, fair competency with which to build 
anew in the promising west of which he was continually getting news from 
his children who had preceded him there. In the fall of 1875 he sold out 
and moved to Ord. The next summer he erected the first store building 
on the townsite lately platted by his sons. Old-timers will all remember 
this general store and hostelry and later postoffice, where every wayfarer 
received a kindly welcome and shelter. When hard times came to the 
Valley-dwellers and starvation almost stared them in the face, Haskell fed 
them till he could no more. His capital exhausted, he was forced to close 
his doors and failed in business. But by the indomitable energy of self 
and wife he got on his feet again and could proudly boast of paying his 
creditors dollar for dollar what he owed. Mr. Haskell has been called the 
father of Ord. And not without reason, for not alone did he build and 
operate the first store here, not alone is a large section of the town built on 
his early farm, but he was a father to all in need. Nor was any early 
timer more public spirited than he. Charity and public enterprise de- 
pended on him for aid and co-operation. When he was laid to rest March 
1, 1901, just 78 years, 2 months and 21 days old, the whole community 
mourned the loss of a father and friend. In Ord the business houses were 
closed and the deceased was accorded a public funeral such as had never 
before been known in the history of the Valley. His many children have 
all taken their part in making the history of the Loup. Of these the sons, 
O. S. Haskell, O. C. Haskell and W. W. Haskell, platted the original town- 
site of Ord; the daughters, Cynthia C. Robbins, Rose I. Williams and Mary 
E. Jones and the son, A. R. Haskell, were all old pioneers and have grown 
up with the Valley and seen it become what it is — a garden spot in our 
state. 

HONNOLD, R. T.— Richard Truman Honnold was born in Coshocton, 
county, Ohio, September 12, 1851, and removed with his parents to Marion 
county, Iowa, late in 1862. In 1874 he was married to Miss Eceneth Mc- 
Michael and immediately loaded his possessions into a covered wagon and 
started for Nebraska. He lingered at St. Paul and put in a few acres of 
wheat there, meanwhile looking about in search of a good place to home- 
stead. He finally located in Mira Valley where he yet resides. Mr. Hon- 
nold is one of those pioneers who has gone through the hardships incident 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



241 




to grasshoppers, fire, hail and drought, and still stands up for Nebraska. 
He had many exciting experiences with the Indians in those days; from the 
first, indeed, he has been closely identified with the history of his county. 

Note: — Since the writing of the above biography Mr. Honnold moved to Ord where be was 
stricken with Brighfs disease, death resulting Monday, April 23. 

JOHNSON, BYRON H.— is another of those very early settlers of 
this Valley who has always been interested in its development and closely 

connected with its history. He was born 
in Rhode Island in 1847 but lived there 
only one year. His parents moved to 
"Wisconsin in 1848 and it was here he 
grew to maturity. In 1866 he went to 
Minnesota where he lived for five years. 
In 1871 he made a trip to Valley county, 
Nebraska, in order to see the country 
which was destined to be his future 
home. He returned to Minnesota to get 
The Byron Johnson Family. things in shape and then moved to this 

valley in November, 1872, and settled on a claim about six miles north of 
North Loup. In 1878 he bought his present farm just one and one half 
miles north of town. Mr. Johnson was a member of the first militia organ- 
ized in this county. He helped to build Port Hartsuff during the grass- 
hopper years. He held the office of supervisor several terms but beyond 
this has taken but slight interest in active politics. He married a Miss 
Stewart in 1880. 

KEOWN, W. B. — Bedford Keown's name is closely associated with 
the settlement of Valley county. He was born in Ohio county, Kentucky, 
in 1849, and came with his parents to Missouri when but a babe. The 
Keowns remained in that state till 1874 when they arrived in Valley county. 
Here Mr. Keown secured the quarter first filed on by one of the Post boys, 
which later on became the townsite of Elyria. He remained on this fine 
tract of land till he sold it to the B. & M. railroad company in 1887. Then 
he moved with his family to Ord and engaged in business. He has been 
prominent as a hardware man and has been engaged in the drug business 
and other enterprises. Several times has he been honored with places of 
trust and profit by his fellow-citizens. The last of these was the county 
treasurership which he held for two terms. At the present Mr. and Mrs. 
Keown are beautifully situated on their fine farm two miles above Ord and 
across the river. They have three children living — Anna Williams, John, 
and Emma Mayo. 

LUEDTKE, AUGUST — is a successful German farmer who, born in a 
foreign land, came to this country to better his condition. He was born in 
Pommerania, Germany, in February, 1841. Here he lived till 1866 when 
he came to the United States and settled in Wisconsin and afterward spent 
a few years in Kansas and Texas. In April, 1873, he came to Nebraska 
and worked between Omaha and Wood River. He came to Valley county 



242 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

in the spring of the following year with Mr. Prank Ohms and a trapper 
named Murphy and settled on his present farm about five miles northwest 
from Arcadia. 

KRUSER, MARTIN— Mr. Martin Kruser was born in Kolding, Den- 
mark, in 1853. Here he lived and received his education, In 1872 he came 
to the United States and for three years made his home with the grand- 
parents of Mr. M. Goodenow. In April, 1878, he came to Valley county, 
Nebraska. For eight years he then worked for Mr. Goodenow. In 1880 
he h'omesteaded his present farm though it was some six years before he 
made his permanent home upon it. Mr. Kruser is a single man. 

LEE, JAMES — Perhaps no one in the southwestern part of Valley 
county is better known than Mr. James Lee who was the first settler in the 
Park which now bears his name. He was born in Ontario, Canada, April 
28, 1847, where he lived till 1874 when he came to Valley county, Nebraska, 
and took up his claim in that section of the Valley called Lee's Park. Mr. 
Lee has always been a farmer, though he worked for two years on Port 
Hartsuff during the grasshopper years. 

LUKE, JOHN— is a native of the state of Connecticut but while quite 
young moved to New York city. He lived there till he was seventeen years 

old, when he joined the army as a drummer boy. 
In April, 1875, he came to Port Hartsuff with Co. 
A, 23d U. S. Infantry, commanded by Capt. John 
J. Coppinger. In October, 1876, after having 
served eight years in the United States army he 
was honorably discharged and at once settled 
down in Valley county to make it his home. He 
was married to a Miss Stewart, November 9, 1876. 
Mr. Luke has long been known as a lumberman. 
Until recently Mr. Luke has had charge of one of 
Ord's rural routes. 
MATTLEY, MRS. E. J.— Although Mrs. E. J. Mattley was born in 
England yet most of her life has been spent in this country. When but 
four years old she came to Iowa and after staying there for five years moved 
to Missouri. While here she met Mr. Mattley whom she married in 1875. 
In 1877 they moved to Nebraska and settled on the farm on which she now 
resides. Mr. Mattley died in November, 1903, but as his wife was a busi- 
ness woman, the farm has been operated successfully nevertheless. 

MOLLER, PALLE — who was one of the members of the Danish colony 
which settled above Ord during the spring and summer of 1872, is a native 
of Denmark, coming from a small village near Haderslev in Slesvig. He 
comes of good old Danish stock, well-to-do land-owners who have ever bit- 
terly resented the encroachment on Danish soil by the German coalition. 
After the Dano-German War of '64, so disastrous to little Denmark, the 
Mollers concluded to leave their homeland and seek a new home in Amer- 
ica. Accordingly, in 1872, the family, comprising the parents and four 
children, Marie, Elizabeth, Jorgen and" Laura, set out for the United States. 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



243 




Jorgen Moller. 



and, as told in another chapter of this book, reached 
Valley county and settled on their old homestead on 
lower Turtle Creek. During the early years Falle 
Holler's substantial log house was an asylum for 
wayfarers in the Valley. The log cabin door 
always swung inward for needy immigrants. When 
Indians were threatening the Loup Mr. Moller was 
ever ready for the front. On several occasions in 
those days did settlers flock thither when rumors of 
Indian raids filled the air. The Danish colonists 
have practically all remained true to their early re- 
ligious teachings in the Lutheran faith, and in the 
seventies no more beautiful picture could be im- 
agined than to see these sturdy northerners, who had outstripped both 
their church and pastors, assemble on a Sunday for church services. On 
such occasions Falle Moller would usually conduct the Danish service of 
song and sermon reading in a manner worthy a well tutored preacher. 
Down through the years Mr. Moller and his son Jorgen have accumulated 
much worldly goods, comprising chiefly farm and ranch lands and cattle. 
F^lle Moller may justly lay claim to being one of the most travelled 
men in our Valley, having crossed the Atlantic thirteen times within 
the last thirty-five years. 

MURRAY, WILLIAM P.— was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1839. 
Until he was 13 years old he changed his residence several times back and 
forth between his native land and Ireland. When he reached this age he 
came to the United States and settled in Westchester county, N. Y. Here 
he lived till 1861 when he moved to Oswego county. The next few years 
he spent as a rambler, visiting nearly every part of the country. In 1878 
he came to Nebraska and settled on the place where he now resides, about 
six miles west from Arcadia. Before coming to Nebraska Mr. Murray was 
a stonemason and quarryman but since he has been a farmer. 

NELSON, HENRY W. — located with his parents in Omaha in 1862, 
where he lived with them for twelve years. He learned to be pressman in 
the Omaha Bee office, and in 1874 he came to Valley county, Neb., and lo- 
cated a homestead and timber claim containing 320 acres, seven miles south 
of Ord on Section 10, Town 18, Range 15. He was born in Sweden, March 
5, 1852, and came to America with his parents in 1862. He was married in 
Ord, August 3, 1879, to Miss Lura Abel, a native of Ohio. He was a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. of Ord. He has been county surveyor of Valley county 
for five years; edited the Valley County Courier one and a half years, be- 
ginning in 1878. At the present Mr. Nelson is located at Billings, Mon- 
tana. 

OHMS, FRANK— bears the distinction of being the first settler in 
Custer county. He was born in Prussia, Germany, in February, 1844. 
Here he lived till he was twenty-five years old when he came to the United 
States and settled in Jefferson county, Wis. While in the old country his 



244 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 





D. Pierce. 



work was varied. Three years were spent with a confectioner, another 
three years were spent in a large depot restaurant, while three more were 
spent in the army. He was engaged in the war between Germany and 
Austria in 1866. He fought in the battle of Sadowa. He received his dis- 
charge in 1868. The next year he came to this country. He stayed in 
Wisconsin only one year and then went to Douglas county, Nebraska. Here 
he farmed for four years when he came to his present home on the Valley 
county line. 

PIERCE, DWIGHT— and family left their old Wisconsin home in the 
spring of 1878 and set out for the Loup Valley with a whole carload of 

household goods, implements, 
W' KS horses and cattle. "In Grand 

Island," says Mr. Pierce, "we 

stored our goods and set out 

to seek a home. The farther 

up the Valley we came the 

better we liked the country. 

At the Big Bend of the Loup 

lay Byron Johnson's home- 
stead. Tnis just suited me 

and I purchased the land." 

Mr. Pierce died Jan. 22, '06, 

after a short illness. 
POST, CHARLES W.— is the only member of 
Post clan now dwelling in the North Loup Valley, 
frontiersmen that they were, moved westward and ever westward, till the 
Pacific now forbids a further migration. Charles was born December 3, 
1847, on the frontier of Michigan. When he was five years old his parents 
began to drift westward by easy stages. Thus he saw life in Wisconsin, 
Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri. When the Civil War broke out the 
Posts found it expedient to leave the state and move back to Jasper, Iowa, 
their old home. He enlisted in '64 when only 16 years old and saw much 
service before the war was over. The Posts next spent some years in Har- 
rison county, Iowa, and in the spring of '72 they set out for the North Loup 
Valley, carrying with them horses, cattle and all other belongings. They 
came via the Beaver and Cedar and entered the Loup near Cotesfield. 
Charles filed upon the northeast quarter of section 26-20-15, the townsite of 
the present Elyria. Later he filed on a pre-emption and secured a school 
quarter on which he made his eventual home. In June, 1881, he married 
Marie, the eldest daughter of Palle Moller. He is the father of three chil- 
dren, Willie, Palle and Magdalene. Charles Post came to the Valley in 
time to participate in all early hardships and disappointments but has out- 
ridden them all and is now beginning to spend his older days in partial re- 
tirement. 

POTTER, HARVEY— was born in La Salle, 111., on December 18, 1846. 
When but a small boy his folks moved to Minnesota. Within the next few 



Mrs. D. Pierce. 

the once numerous 
The others like the 




BIOGRAPHICAL 245 

years his home was changed to Lexington, Kansas, Jasper county, 
Iowa, and finally in May, 1873, to Valley county, Nebraska, where he has 
resided ever since. Mr. Potter is one of the oldest settlers in Valley county 
and as such has been interested in the growth and development of the Loup 
Valley. He was married in July, 1882. 

PEENTICE, WILLIAM A.— was born in Dakota. Wis., in July, 1851. 
Here he lived till Junp, 1873, when he came to Valley county and took up a 

claim in Mira Valley. He was married in 1872. In 
1881 he came to North Loup and began to work as a 
carpenter. He took a course of study in law and 
was admitted to the bar in 1891. Mr. Prentice was a 
justice of the peace for several years but outside of 
this has had no political aspirations. 

ROOD, CHARLES P.— now long passed to his 
reward, is one of the early North Loupers who de- 
serves more than passing mention in a history of the 
Loup Valley. He should have much credit for the 
part he played in the settlement of North Loup by 
w. A. Prentice. the Wisconsin colony. He was a member of both 

committees and but for his determined stand and flattering reports of the 
land, the enterprise might have been altogether abandoned. He was born 
in Vermont. May 30, 1823, and after a brief sojourn in Canada moved with 
his people to Cataraugas county, N. Y., where he grew up and married 
Marianne Thorngate. The family moved to Milwaukee and later to Wau- 
shara county and became a part of the Seventh-Day colony there. The 
large family of nine children born to him have practically all taken active 
and leading part in the development of the Loup and most of them live in 
or near North Loup today. Mr. Rood lived for some time on Section 32, 
Town 18, Range 13; but homesteaded over in Mira Valley somewhat later. 
He was a public-spirited man, strong in his convictions of what was right. 
He was quite a lay preacher and really the head of the Good Templar move- 
ment in North Loup. He died March 17, 1878. 

ROOD, CHARLES J.— is one of the older sons of Charles P. Rood, 
and was born in Waushara county, Wisconsin, July 4, 1851, where he 
boasts being the first white child born in his particular township. He grew 
to manhood in Wisconsin and was given what was then considered a pretty 
good education. He too was one of the second locating committee to come 
to the Loup. In 1872 he homesteaded just outside of North Loup. He 
spent much time as a teacher in those days, and as such had the honor of 
being the first to teach school in the village of Ord. For some years he 
farmed on Davis Creek but moved to North Loup in 1895 to give his chil- 
dren the advantage of the better schools in that town. In 1875 he was 
married to Rosa P. Furrow. They are the parents of ten children. 

ROOD, W. H.— beheld the beautiful Loup in 1871, when he came here 
as one of the second committee from Wisconsin. From the first he was 
satisfied with the country and determined to make it his home. This he 



246 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 





did in the spring of 1872 when he came as one of the Seventh-Day Baptist 

Colony. Mr. Rood was born 

in Rock county, Wisconsin, in 

1840. He enlisted in Co. G, 

37th Wisconsin Infantry, in 

1864 and served till August, 

1865. Although he was in 

active service his regiment 

never took part in any serious 

engagements. At North Loup 

Mr Rood farmed for a number 

of years. Later he engaged 
w. H. Rood. in mercantile pursuits and was Mrs. w. h. Rood. 

for years proprietor of the North Loup hotel. At present he is a carpenter 
and builder. In 1880 he married a Miss Pierce. He was a member of the 
militia company organized for protection against the Indians in 1873 and 
has held every township office in his home township. 

SCHONING, OTTO— Another of Germany's sons is Otto Schoning 
who was born in Plathe, Pommerania, Germany, September 23, 1841. His 
early life was spent on a farm. He served two and one-half years as a 
state regular, but soon after getting his discharge he was recalled because 
of the war with Austria in 1860. Six months later he was discharged. 
Upon hearing rumors of a threatened Franco-Prussian war he left for the 
United States, landing at Baltimore in September, 1868. Securing work 
in Wisconsin he remained there till 1872 when he came to Valley county 
and homesteaded his present farm, four and one-half miles from North 
Loup. May 7, 1878, he married Miss Amelia Brown. They have a beauti- 
ful farm. 

SHELDON, JOHN — was the first of the North Loup colony to choose 
land in Valley county ; this he did when he located his claim three miles 
southeast of North Loup, November 6, 1871. Prom that day to the present 
he has been a loyal trailer. Mr. Sheldon was born in Germany, August 
31, 1848, and came to America when only five years old. He was one of 
the early Seventh-Day Baptist locating committee and together with the 
Roods and Mansell Davis made the long trip from Wisconsin and back in 
1871. The next spring he moved onto his farm, remaining there seven 
years. After leaving the farm he lived for a few years in Scotia; then he 
moved to North Loup where he still resides. He has spent his time vari- 
ously on the farm, as a proprietor of livery barns, in the mercantile busi- 
ness, and as a real estate dealer. He married Mary Brown of Wisconsin 
and is the father of four sons and daughters. 

SMITH, A. J. — is another of those natives of New York state who 
came west to better their condition. In 1874 he came to Iowa where he was 
married the following year. In 1879 the Smith family moved to Nebraska 
and settled in Valley county. The first seven years of their Nebraska ex- 
perience was spent on a farm near the place where Mr. and Mrs. Melville 



BIOGRAPHICAL 247 

Goodenow now live. In 1SS6 they moved to Ord, making the county seat 
their permanent home. 

SNOW, CYRUS A.— was born in Alleghany county, New York, April 
23, 1847. When he was only six years of age his parents came to Union 
Mills, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and ten years later they moved to a farm 
near Centreville, Michigan. In the fall of 1H77 he came to Valley county 
and worked on the historic Mortensen place for two years. He then tim- 
ber-claimed his present farm southwest of Ord. In July, 1H79, he married 
Miss Ella M. Jackson. 

STACY, SAMUEL AUSTIN— was born in Hocking county, Ohio, in 
1851. His parents early set their faces westward and moved to Clark 
county, Iowa, where Samuel grew to manhood and received a common 
school education. July 1, 1874. he left Sloan, Iowa, on horseback and after 
twenty-six strenuous days arrived in Valley county, where his sister Mrs. 
A. T. Morris had preceded him. That summer was spent in visiting, hunt- 
ing and in general enjoyment. He did not, how- 
ever, make this his home till February 20, 1877, 
when he filed on a homestead in Mira Valley. 
After building a humble dugout on the claim he 
went to Aurora, Nebr., for his bride, Alice E. 
Likes. This was October 25, 1877. After getting 
a few essentials for housekeeping, the young 
couple had just $6.10 with which to start out in 
life. But Mr. Stacy was not cut out for a farmer. 
He moved to Ord and clerked for a time in Doc. 
Harter's new store. Tnen he worked for B. C. 
White and later became a member of the firm Stacy, Johnson & Co., gen- 
eral merchandise. He has at various times been engaged as a real estate 
dealer and in the meat market business. He has also held office as town 
treasurer of Ord township. When Co. B, 2nd Regiment N. N. G., was 
organized, Mr. Stacy was made Second Lieutenant. Later he was raised 
to the rank of First Lieutenant, Captain, and Adjutant of the 2nd Regi- 
ment, successively. June 1, 1898, he was made postmaster of Ord; he was 
reappointed by President Roosevelt, May 28, 1902. 

THORNGATE, GEORGE— was born in Cataraugas county, New York, 
in 1834. When but twelve or thirteen years old he removed to Wisconsin 
in which state he afterward taught school. In May, 1861, he enlisted in 
Co. E, 5th Wisconsin Infantry. He engaged in the battles of Antietam and 
Williamsburg. In the latter battle he was wounded in the chin and sent 
home on sick leave. He was discharged in the spring of 1862. However, 
he reenlisted later in the 13th Wisconsin Light Artillery which was then 
stationed at Baton Rouge. He was mustered out in July, 1864. In the fall 
of the same year he was married to a Miss Crandall and the young couple 
took up their home in Missouri. The following year, 1878, they came to 
Valley county and settled at North Loup. Mr. Thorngate died in Decem- 
ber, 1893, but his wife still survives him. 




248 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

TIMMERMAN, LEVI D.— is another of our early settlers who came 
originally from New York. He was born in Jasper county, that state, July 
22, 1849. In 1878 he came to Valley county and being well pleased with 
the county bought the south eighty acres of his present farm. In August 
he returned to New York and married Miss Mary Dennis. The following 
April they came to their new home on the Loup where they have since re- 
sided. It is interesting to know that for his first eighty acres of land Mr. 
Timmerman paid but $140.00. He now has one of the finest farms in this 
county. 

TRUE, CHANDLER — was born in Clayton county, Iowa, December 1, 
1851. Here he lived as a farmer until June 1878, when he moved to Ne- 
braska and settled on his present farm about four miles west of Arcadia. 
He was married December 25, 1878, to a Miss Knight and they have eight 
children living. Mr. True is a successful farmer as a glance at his well- 
kept farm will show. 

WEAVER, MARSHAL N.— came to Nebraska in September, 1873, in 
company with George McAnulty. He settled at the head of the "Big 
Island," where he trapped and hunted during the winters of '73 and '74. 
He then returned to his old home in Latiabe, Pennsylvania, where he lives 
a prosperous man. It is safe to say, however, that he never forgets the 
beautiful North Loup Valley, the scene of some stormy adventures of his 
youth. 

WEBB.. SAMUEL S.— was born in Floyd, New York, in August, 1825. 
Here he lived till 1857 when he moved to Illinois. Two years later he mar- 
ried a Miss Davis and in 1861 moved to Wisconsin. Three years later they 
moved to Minnesota which remained their home till 1877 at which time 
they came to Nebraska and settled in Valley county. Mr. Webb is essen- 
tially a farmer, though now retired from active work. At the ripe age of 
eighty he lives in comfort in his North Loup home, respected and highly 
honored by all his townsmen. 

WELLMAN, M. A. — Among the early trailers of the Loup and a man 
identified with the business interests of North Loup for a number of years 
was M. A. Wellman. He was born at Windsor, Mass., May 28, 1842. When 
a child his parents moved to Waushara county, Wisconsin, where he grew 
to manhood. On May 18, 1866, he married Miss Mary Francisco. Five 
years later they moved to Greeley county. In 1886 they moved to North 
Loup and purchased their present home. From that time to his death on 
May 4, 1899, Mr. Wellman was engaged in the grocery business in North 
Loup. 

WHEELER, JOHN S.— was born in Sullivan county, New York, in 
1854. Here he lived for twenty-four years, being engaged during the lat- 
ter part of this time in the printing business. In 1878 he came to Valley 
county and has lived here ever since. Until 1904 he farmed a place near 
Geranium but when this was sold he bought a farm near Elyria on which 
he now resides. 

WIGENT, D. — was born in Berrien county, Michigan, August 17, 1859. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



249 



Here he lived and attended school till 1877 when his parents came to Val- 
ley county and homesteaded on Turtle Creek. When Mr. Wigent came of 
age he took a homestead on the north branch of Turtle Creek. April 22, 
1884, he married Miss Agnes Pecas. Three years later they sold out and 
bought near the present Hillsdale schoolhouse. In 1891 they moved to 
Barton county, Missouri. Here they lived for ten years when returning to 
Valley county they purchased the farm in Springdale where they now re- 
side. 

WIYGENT, W. H.— One of the early settlers of Springdale was W. H. 
Wiygent who came to Valley county in 1875. Mr. Wigent was born near 

Syracuse, New York, July 25, 1843. When he 
was but a small child his parents moved to Mich- 
igan where he grew to manhood. In November, 
1862. Mr. Wiygent enlisted in the Union Army 
and served till August, 1865. On December 23, 
1866, he married Miss Myra Drake of Van Buren 
county, Michigan. He helped build the lirst 
bridge across the Loup river at Ord. Early in 
1876 he homesteaded his place in Springdale, 
where he has since made his home. 

WRIGHT, CHAUNCEY— was born on a New 
William Wiygent. York farm in 1813. Here he lived till 1874 when 

he came to Nebraska and took up a claim about three miles south of Ord. 
Mr. Wright was married to a Miss Standish in 1837 and to them five chil- 
dren were born. One of them, a daughter, married a Mr. Chaffee in I860 
and settled in Wisconsin. Mr. Chaffee enlisted in the fall of 1864 and 
served for one year. After being discharged from the army he returned to 
Wisconsin where he died in 1877. Mrs. Chaffee now came to Nebraska to 
live with her parents who soon afterwards moved to North Loup, where 
she has lived ever since. 




Garfield County. 

ABBOTT, WILLIAM— has followed the "star of empire" in its course 
toward the west. He was born in Alberg, Vt., in 1844. When but a baby 
his parents moved to Clinton county, New York, and it was from here that 
Mr. Abbott moved to New Jersey in 1S66 and began to work his way west- 
ward. After a short stay in New Jersey he moved to Pawpaw, 111. In 
1869 he came to Iowa and after living there for nine years moved to this 
valley and settled near Burwell. He farms a piece of land in Jones' 
Canyon. 

BARR, JAMES — comes of good Scotch parentage, having been born 
at Glasgow, in April, 1845. The Barrs left old Scotland in 1850 and imme- 
diately came to Chicago. His father was a stone-mason and contractor as 
well as bridge builder. The elder Barr thus had charge of constructing all 
the masonry on the old Galena and Chicago Union Railroad and put in the 




250 THE TRAIL OP THE LOUP 

masonry on one of the first bridges to span the Mississippi. After attend- 
ing school at Belvidere, Illinois, "Jim" entered the army at the early age 
of sixteen. He became a member of the famous Scotch regiment under 
Colonel Stewart, which marched more miles, fought in more battles and 
suffered greater losses than almost any other regiment east or west. Mr. 
Barr's army history reads like a romance and would fill books to narrate. 

How he surrendered to "Stonewall" Jackson at 
Harper's Ferry, scouted in eastern Kentucky or 
saved the life of the rebel colonel, or how he se- 
verely wounded was brought in contact with the 
young woman — Esther Ann Tilden — whom he 
later married, cannot unfortunately be told in this 
brief sketch. In the early seventies O. S. Haskell 
arrived with his family in Valley county. Mrs. 
Haskell being a first cousin of Mrs. Barr had per- 
haps something to do with inducing the latter and 
husband to come west. At any rate the Barrs ar- 
rived in the Valley in 1874. For a year or so Mr. Barr worked for the gov- 
ernment at Fort Hartsuff. Now and later he was one of the chief govern- 
ment freighters between Fort Hartsuff and Fort Niobrara. In 1875 he filed 
on a pre-emption three miles southeast from Burwell, first held by George 
McAnulty of Scotia. This together with some additional land comprises 
the comfortable Barr farm of today. The author has had the privilege to 
read some of the numerous letters which have passed between Mr. Barr 
and men high in army and governmental affairs, and from it he feels free 
to state that had Mr. Barr been so inclined he might today have been in 
high office. But he was content to be a plain Scotchman. He has always 
taken active part in politics and could have held important offices had he 
wished. Thus he refused the nomination of representative from his dis- 
trict. As commissioner of Wheeler county just before its division, he 
drafted the petition for the organization of Garfield county and suggested 
the name which it came to bear. 

BARKER, F. A. — was born in Alleghany county, N. Y., in April, 
1848. When but a boy of five years of age he moved with his parents to 
Wisconsin. Here he received his early education and grew to manhood. 
In July, 1873, he came to Nebraska and homesteaded in Valley county. In 
1891 he moved to Louisiana where he lived till 1897. He then returned to 
Nebraska and settled in Burwell. At present Mr. Barker is engaged in the 
bakery business. 

DEAFENBAUGH, J. A.— first saw the light of day in Tuscaroras 
county, Ohio, on July 4,* 1846. Evidently he was pleased with the celebra- 
tion for here he spent the first 29 years of his life. However, in 1875 he 
decided to cast his lot in Illinois, only to move again April, 1878, to Gar- 
field county, Nebraska. Here he took a homestead in the Loup Valley 
about three miles from where Burwell now is. In the winter of the follow- 
ing year he took unto himself a wife in the person of Miss Rose M. Schreier 



BIOGRAPHICAL 251 

of Illinois. In 1903 they sold their old homestead and moved to their pres- 
ent farm. Mr. Deafenbaugh is an energetic farmer and has a beautiful 
place. 

DRAVER, WILLIAM — comes from a country from which we receive 
many of our most reliable citizens. He was born April 13, 1810, on the 
Isle of Westray off the coast of Scotland. Here he received his education 
and remained till the age of twenty-eight. In 1861 he was married to 
Miss Ann Randal. His parents coming to the United States, he came with 
them and they all located in West county, Iowa, remaining there five years. 
Mr. Draver is one of the earliest settlers of Garfield county, coming here 
in 1873. He still lives on the old homestead. When one learns that he and 
his children now own about twenty-six hundred acres of land, they are 
tempted to forget the early privations endured by Mr. Draver's family — 
poverty, drought, and sickness— all met with true Scotch fortitude which 
must characterize one who overcomes. 

FREELAND, TRUMAN— "was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, 
on February 22, 1852. His parents were among the pioneers of northern 
Illinois. Mr. Freeland assisted in the construction of the first bridge 
thrown over the waters of the Platte in the state of Nebraska. He acted 
as lead chainman in the original survey of what is now Custer and Loup 
counties. He built the first actual settler's residence (a dugout) construct- 
ed in the valley of the North Loup river above Haskell Creek; and his 
nearest neighbor on the river valley was then twenty miles away. He was 

the second settler of what is now Garfield county 
(Mr. C. H. Jones having preceded him a few days.) 
He carried the first United States mail brought 
into what is now Garfield county. He cut and 
hewed the logs for the first school house built in 
the county, and on his pre-emption was broken 
the first sod turned in Garfield county. He built 
the first frame residence in the county constructed 
of lumber shipped from the East, and hauled the 
lumber from Grand Island, a distance of nearly 
eighty miles. Mr. Freeland is an author of no 
mean ability, his writings having appeared in some of the leading publica- 
tions of Nebraska and other states. He is also the author of a volume of 
poems soon to appear in print. He is decidedly a man of peace and never 
took any prominent part in the various conflicts with Indians in the early 
settlement of his neighborhood nor did he ever lose anything by them, ex- 
cept once when they stole his coat while he was felling a tree a few rods 
away. Mr. Freeland was married in 1874 to Miss Jane Russell of Rock 
Island county, Illinois. Mrs. Freeland taught the first school held in what 
is now Garfield and Wheeler counties. Mr. and Mrs. Freeland are the old- 
est residents now residing within the boundaries of Garfield count.y and 
have witnessed all the changing conditions from the days when the buffalo, 
elk, deer and antelope roamed over the prairies and woodlands to the time 




252 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

when all these have passed away and given place to modern civilization." 
GROSS. ALEXANDER — is a native of Poland in which state he was 
born in 1855. He lived here 18 years and then sailed to New York. He 
went from one place to another for the first three years after coming to this 
country. In 1875 he arrived in Hall county and the next year moved up 
the valley to Valley county. He lived here till 1901 when he bought a farm 
in Garfield county only a short distance from Burwell. Mr. Gross is a suc- 
cessful farmer. 

HEMMETT, TOM— was born in Niagara county, New York, March 9, 
1850. While yet a lad of five years he removed with his parents to Pelican 
county, Michigan, where he grew to manhood. In the early '70's a num- 
ber of neighbors had moved out west and several had reached the Loup. 
The western fever seized young Hemmett and we soon find him making his 

way thither too. Early in 1875 he arrived on the 
North Loup and filed a pre-emption in the timber 
on Jones' Canyon, just above the claim of his old 
Michigan neighbor, C. H. Jones. He later took a 
homestead in the valley, a place which has devel- 
oped into one of the most productive and beautiful 
farms in this part of the state. Mr. Hemmett 
early became identified with Loup history. He 
played his part in the early Indian skirmishes and 
took quite a part in the county seat drama. He 
has for years been actively engaged in politics. 
When Wheeler county was divided in 1884 he was clerk of the county, but 
as his interests were in the new Garfield county he resigned his office. In 
1904 he was elected clerk of Garfield couuty, serving three consecutive 
terms. After a brief interregnum he was again elected to the office, this 
time as a Populist. Mr; Hemmett has lived through more actual history 
than most men in his county. 

JOHNS, W. C. — one of the citizens to whom we point with pride is a 
native of Green county, Wisconsin, born there forty-two years ago. In 
1878, he came with his parents to what is now Garfield county. His early 
manhood was uneventful, being spent chiefly in receiving a good 
education in the public schools of Wisconsin and Nebraska. In 1892 Mr. 
Johns was married to Miss Anna Beauchamp of Port Hartsuff, Nebraska. 
He was for some time a teacher and also a farmer and rancher. He is half 
owner of the grocery of Johns & Mitchell. The people have shown their 
appreciation of him by electing him to be sheriff of Wheeler county before 
the organization of Garfield county, as county superintendent and county 
treasurer. He is now serving his second term in that capacity. He is a 
Republican. 

MESSENGER, H. A.— was born in Wisconsin in 1858 He lived here 
until May, 1874, when he started toward Nebraska with ox teams. He ar- 
rived in Garfield county about two months later and took up his home just 
north of Burwell at the place where he yet resides. He is a farmer by oc- 





BIOGRAPHICAL 253 

cupatiun and has spent his whole life in following this kind of work. He 
is one of Garfield county's oldest settlers and has been closely connected 
with its history throughout all its stages of growth. He was a member of 
the old militia of which R. P. Alger was captain. 

ROBKE, FREDERICK — has surely had a varied experience. He was 
born in Germany in 1^34 where he lived until twenty-four years old. As a 

young man he spent four years of his life as a 
soldier, taking active part in the early war be- 
tween Prussia and Bavaria. His occupation while 
in the old country was that of a wagon maker, 
which work he followed for a number of years 
after he had come to the United States. In 1868 
he arrived in the land of his adoption and located 
his home in Chicago. In 1870 he made a trip to 
Colorado but returned to Chicago six months later. 
In 1S73 he moved to Nebraska and settled on his 
present home about three and one-half miles from 
Burwell. Since coming to this Valley he has been a farmer. 

SMITH. MRS. M.— is another of those sturdy people who though born 
in a foreign land came to this country and made themselves a home. She 
was born in Scotland and came to Iowa in 1858. Here she lived till 1873 
when she moved to Nebraska and settled in Garfield county. In 1871 she 
married a farmer by the name of Smith. In 1884 they moved into Rurwell 
and have run a boarding house ever since. Mr. Smith died in 1891 but his 
wife has .shown her ability as a business woman by continuing the business 
in a very successful way. 

WEBSTER, PRANK A. —Among the early "Trailers of the Loup" 
who have since moved to other communities none is more worthy of men- 
tion than Frank A. Webster. Mr. Webster was born in Crawford. Pennsyl- 
vania, in April, 1852. When but three years old he moved with his parents 
to Adams county, Wis. Here he grew to manhood and learned the printer's 
trade. In April, 1873, he carrte to Omaha and accepted a position with the 
Omaha Bee. Here he remained only till the following fall when he came 
to the Loup Valley. Later western Burwell was platted on a part of his 
old homestead. For several years Mr. Webster was engaged in newspaper 
work in central Nebraska; among these papers was the Howard County 
Advocate. In 1878 he married Miss Ella M. Bowen. The Websters moved 
to Rathdrum, Idaho, several years ago where they still make their home. 
WOODS, WILLIAM — has come a long way to find this garden spot on 
the Loup River. He was born in Surrey county, England, November 28, 
1833. However, being attracted by the greater possibilities in a new coun- 
try he came to Canada on May 6, 1857, and located about fourteen miles 
west of Toronto. Mr. Woods then moved to the United States in 1H56. He 
has since lived in several different states, New York, Wisconsin Iowa and 
Nebraska among others. In 1865 he enlisted in the Union Army and served 
till the end of the war. Mr Woods came to Garfield county in 1874 where 



254 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

with the exception of a couple of years he has since resided. In 1878 he 
homesteaded the farm on which he now lives. 



Greeley County. 

BEEBE, Dr. J. B. — One of the most prominent figures on the Loup 
river from '71 to '77 was "Doc" Beebe. He came to the North Loup VaJley 
in' 1871 and for years "Beebe's Ranch" was one of the best known places 
in the Valley. His wife and charming daughter Susie were notable pio- 
neer women. In 1890 Mr. Beebe went to Oregon where he died a few 
years later. 

BILYEU, J. W.— was born September 20, 1841, in Clinton county, 111. 
When twelve years of age his parents moved to Bond county. Iowa, where 
Mr. Bilyeu grew to manhood. On August 12, 1862, he enlisted as a private 
in the 130th Illinois Infantry. He was present at the siege of Vicksburg. 
Upon his discharge in August, 1865, be returned to Bond county. On 
March 22, 1866, he married Miss E.O. Pile of Bond county. In the fall of 
1877 he came to the Loup country and homesteaded near Scotia. In 1904 
he purchased property in Scotia where he has since lived. 

FARELL, GEORGE— was born in Columbus, Indian, January 10, 
1857. In 1870 his parents moved to Caldwell county, Missouri, only to re- 
move to Howard county, Nebraska, the following year, having filed on their 
homestead the previous year. Though only a boy he and a friend went up 
near Kent and squatted on some land there. However, being forced off 
his land in 1874 he returned home and in 1877 homesteaded his present 
farm. The same year he married Miss Emma Bixby. In the fall of 1882 
they moved to Scotia only to return to the farm four years later. 

DAVIS, MANSELL — One of the very first settlers in Greeley county 
was Mansell Davis. He was born in Jamestown, New York, in 1848 and 
resided there till 1867, when he moved to Dakota, Wisconsin. While in 
New York he was engaged in mercantile pursuits. His western life has, 
however, been that of farmer. When in 1871 the Dakota Seventb-Day 
Baptists commenced casting about for new homes Mr. Davis became a 
member of the second or voluntary committee to explore the west. Thus he 
came to the Loup and became one of: the first six to file on claims in Greeley 
County. In those early days Mr. Davis took quite an active part in pol- 
itics. Thus he was the first surveyor of Greeley county, and later served 
in the capacity of county superintendent and county supervisor. At the 
present time he lives on his fine farm three miles southeast of North 
Loup. 

FISH, ALCIE P.— The man who has the distinction of being the first 
settler in Greeley county was Mr. Alcie P. Fish. He was born February 
18, 1822, near Brockport, New York. When he was 12 years old his 
father died and he was compelled to shift for himself. In March, 1843, he 
married Esther E. Williams near the Niagara Falls. In 1848 they moved to 
Loraine county, Ohio, where their son Elihu B. Fish was born. Elihu is 



BIOGRAPHICAL * 255 

the only survivor of four children. In 1850 Mr. A. P. Pish came to Pon 
du Lac county. Wis. In 1861 he enlisted in the First Wisconsin Cavalry 
where he served till his discharge in November, 1864. In October, 1871, 
he came bo Greeley and pre-empted. His son followed the next spring and 
homesteaded one mile north of his present residence. Mr. Alcie P. Fish 
was one of the first county commissioners. Indeed, the first election was 
held in his house. His son was first county clerk of Greeley county. In the 
fall of 1879 the younger Pish married Miss Julia McMillan. The father 
moved to Scotia in 1887 and died three years later. 

GARDNER, ANDREW— was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1849. When 
but a child he moved to Green Bay, Wis., where he lived till 1861. At this 
time he changed his residence to Pond du Lac, Wis., where he lived until 
he came to Nebraska in 1878. Mr. Gardner has always been a farmer, al- 
though in early days he used to spend the winter trapping. He worked on 
his farm about eight miles southeast of Scotia until 1904 when he retired 
from active labor and moved to town. 

GILLESPIE, A. J. — Andrew J. Gillespie, Sr., the grand old patri- 
arch of the Loup, filled his hundredth year June 4, 1905. He is still re- 
markably hale and hearty for a man of his years. This wonderful good 
health he ascribes to the thirty four years he has lived in Nebraska "where 
people stay young longer than anywhere else on earth." Mr. Gillespie's 
name has lone been associated with the North Loup Valley to which he 
came early in 1871. He first settled near Elba where he operated quite a 
ranch. His herd of cattle was the first to fatten on the grasses of the Loup. 
He also took the first contract to carry the United States mail up the North 
Loup valley, the route being fully seventy miles long. Often he drove the 
stage in person but never did his passengers dream that the man who guid- 
ed his team with such skill over the difficult route had long filled his three 
score and ten. Mr. Gillespie was born in Kentucky, June 4, 1805, near the 
place where Abraham Lincoln first saw light four years later. Like Lin- 
coln he spent his early manhood in Illinois, where he married Temper- 
ance Lee Bankston. daughter of Colonel Bankston, a life-long friend and 
comrade of Lincoln. Thirteen children were born to them, of whom twelve 
reached middle age. In 1836 the family moved to Iowa where they remained 
for many years. In 1871, at an age when most men are preparing to 
spend their declining years in peace, he sold his home near Dubuque and 
came to Nebraska. He became a great hunter and soon attracted the atten- 
tion of leading plainsmen, who have ever held him in the highest esteem. 
At the age of seventy-five he is known to have killed deer at a distance of 
more than three hundred yards. The centenarian is tall and supple, show- 
ing: in his carriage but slight indications of the burden of a hundred years 
of active life. His long line of descendants inherit his fine physique and 
remarkable stamina. Thus his seventh son, Joe, won the trying horse race 
of many hundred miles from Chadron, Nebr. , to Chicago, when already past 
middle life. He has a remarkable lot of descendants living — numbering 
in all 172 souls. Of these nine are his own children, seventy-seven are 



. , , 


*) * 


• m 




% 


m -- 


^/h 




■ 


\. ( * 





256 - THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

grand-children, eighty great grand-children, and six great great grand- 
children. At a grand public celebration held at Scotia in honor of his hun- 
dredth birthday, in the neighborhood of a hundred decendants assmbled to 
do the old man honor, and eight hundred guests were lunched and drank to 
his health and many happy years yet to come. 

GRIFFITH, COL. B. F. — was born in Monroe county, New York, in 
1845. When but five years old his parents moved to 
Pennsylvania which became his home. In August, 
1861, he enlisted in Co. H, 105th Pennsylvania Infan- 
try and as a member of that regiment he fought 
through four long years. He certainly did his 
part in this great rebellion, having fought in many 
of the greatest battles of the war, Fair Oaks, 
Seven Pines, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricks- 
burg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Gettysburg. 
In the last named of these battles he was severely 
wounded in no less than three places and afterwards 
spent sixteen months in the hospital. After having been discharged he 
returned to Pennsylvania where he lived till 1878 when he moved to this 
valley. Mr. Griffith is a lawyer, having been admitted to the bar in 
1882. He has twice been elected county attorney of Greeley. county. His 
home is in Scotia. 

HILLMAN. REV. GEORGE— came to the North Loup Valley in April 
1872, and settled in Greeley county. On May 10, 1872, he preached a ser- 
mon in the house of John Vanskike. Captain Munson sent an armed es- 
cort to guard the congregation from Indians. The first Methodist church 
ever organized in the Loup Valley was organized at the Hillman home, 
also the first Sabbath school. The first general election was held in his 
home on October 8, 1872 at which time he was elected county judge, being 
of course the first judge of Greeley county. Rev. Hillman was born in 
Banwell, Somersetshire, England, September 17, 1829; came to America in 
1848; lived in Iowa until 1872 when he came to Nebraska. He was married 
to Miss Hannah Jenkins in 1853. Rev. Hillman and his good wife are now 
living near Scotia. They are in good heatlh and still enjoy living. Mr. 
Hillman still preaches occasionally. The old settlers hold them in love and 
esteem, remembering the long years of right living this good couple have 
spent here in the North Loup Valley. 

KELLOGG, JOHNG. — the minnesinger of the Loup, was born in Lake 
county, Illinois, January 15, 1846, where he grew to manhood and got all 
the schooling he ever had. Here he farmed and composed rhymes. When 
twenty-three years old he set his face westward and came to Platte county, 
Nebraska. Here he lingered till August, 1871, when in company with 
Shepard, Scott and Stewart, pioneers spoken of elswhere, he set out for 
the North Loud Valley. On the 7th day of September he selected his 
claim in Greeley county, lying above present-day Scotia. Mr. Kellogg was 
one of the organizers of Greeley county and became its first county super- 



1*~*3^- >*,ir 



+ .+. 




,4 



V-^ 



? 



! it 



<■';*& 






GO 



**>*• 



CD 
CD 

5' 

•JQ 

5' 

CD 
CD 

Q 



> 
c 

1Q 



/>:■*- 



d*W 



o 



i 1HH 



'■■ Mi* 



/#•. 






**&'*■ " 



■•■'- } 



BIOGRAPHICAL 257 

intendeut. On January 30, 1879, he married Belle Scott, one of the earliest 
women to come into the Loup, who is more than usually conversant with 
all topics pertaining to early frontier life. They have five children living. 

McANULTY, GEORGE W.— was bom at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 
1853. He lost both of his parents at an early age. his father losing his 
life in his country's defense during the Civil War, and his mother dying 
within the same year. At the age of eighteen he went to Texas and for 
the first time saw the great West. After some time spent in the Lone Star 
state he went to Illinois and thence back to Pennsylvania. But he had 
gotten his taste for the plains. Accordingly he came back and arrived in 
Nebraska and the North Loup Valley ,in 1873. He settled on the James 
Barr farm near Burwell. When Port Hartsuff was established helped to 
build some of the structures there. Later he enlisted in Captain Munson's 
company — Co. C, 9th U. S. Infantry — which was ordered into active service 
a few days after his enlistment. The company joined the rest of the 9ch 
Regiment at Port Laramie, Wyoming Territory. The Great Sioux War 
was on and the boys were on the frontier. Mr. McAnulty was with Gen- 
eral Crook in the terrible campaign of 1876, and returned with his company 
to Port Hartsuff two years later and was there discharged. He married 
Miss Lillie Moore in March, 1880, and settled near Ord. In 1882 he moved 
to Scotia where he has since resided. He has three children, two sons, 
Pred and John, and one daughter, Louise. Mr. McAnulty is a believer in 
the North Loup Valley. Never, even during the darkest years, has his 
faith in it faltered. 

MOORE, DAVID — one of the early settlers of Greeley county was born 
in Ohio in 1827. He came of good Quaker stock. His early life was spent 
in Indiana and Illinois. As a boy he knew Lincoln and often heard him 
address a jury in the old court house at Delavan, 111. Later his parents set- 
tled in eastern Iowa, near Wyoming. Here he met and married Louise 
Standish in 1848. He served throughout the Civil War in Co. K, 24th 
Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was with his regiment in some of the hard- 
est fought battles of the war. He came to Nebraska June, 1873, and settled 
in Greeley county taking as a homestead the northeast quarter of section 
10-17-12, one mile east of Scotia where he resided for twenty years. In 
1893 he moved to Scotia. He was most public spirited and untiring in his 
efforts to build up this part of the state. He was admitted to the bar in 
1881 and practiced law for some years. In early days his home was noted 
for its generous hospitality and for many years David Moore was known 
as the friend of the settler. He died November 25, 1904, at his home in 
Scotia. His wife and three children survived him. His oldest son Horace 
Moore died June 23, 1905. Those still living are Dr. Mila S. Moore of 
Taylor, Nebr., and Mrs. George McAnulty of Scotia. 

NURTON, E. A. — of Scotia is a much travelled man. He was born in 
Dubuque county, Iowa, February 19, 1856, and here he spent the first 
twenty-one years of his life. In September 1, 1877, he and his father 
bought one and one-half sections of railroad land five miles from Scotia. In 



258 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

the fall he returned to Iowa and the next year worked his father's farm. 
However, in the fall of 1878 he returned to his land in Nebraska. In 1879 
he again went back to Iowa and worked for nine months for his uncle. 
Then again he returned to Greeley county. On February 6, 1883, he mar- 
ried Miss Emma L. Woodward of Dubuque, Iowa. In 1886 he moved to Ord 
only to leave in 1888. The next year however he sold his farm property 
and moved to Scotia where he lives at present. 

PRIDEMORE, JEREMIAH— was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, 
April 24, 1833. When but a child his parents moved to Clay county, Illi- 
nois, where he grew to manhood. In March, 1859, he married Miss Sarah 
File of Bond county, Iowa. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the 48th 
Illinois Infantry. He saw much active service and engaged in the battles 
of Ft. Donalson, Shiloh. Vicksburg, Chattanooga and Atlanta. After his 
discharge in September, 1864, he returned to Bond county, Iowa, where he 
lived till he came to Greeley count}' in 1877. He still lives on his old home- 
stead. 

SAUTER, GEORGE C— was born at Wittenberg, Germany, and came 
to America when but three years old. His Barents spent some time at De- 
troit and Chicago, but later removed to Indiana where the boy grew to 
manhood. He came to Fish Creek in Greeley county in 1877 and home- 
steaded there. He married Anna Brandt of Indiana. Of his children none 
are living. The Sauters remained on the farm till 1893 when they moved 
to Scotia where they are now nicely located. 

SOOTT, WILLIAM— Two of the first among 
early settlers in Greeley county were William Scott 
and his son, L. E. Scott. William Scott was born 
in Fairfield county, Conn., July 22, 1823. As he 
grew to manhood he learned the carpenter trade. 
He was married September 6, 1849. His eldest and 
at present only living son, L. C. Scott, was born in 
October of the next year. In 1855 the Scotts came 
to Freeport, Iowa, only to return ten years later to 
(Connecticut. In 1866 they moved toRosendale. Fon- 
Jdu Lac county, Wisconsin. In the spring of 1872 
L. E. Scott moved on to Greeley county and was followed by his father in 
the fall of the same year. 

STEWART, ALZA M.— The first settler in Valley county was AlzaM. 
Stewart who came to this county in August, 1871. Mr. Stewart was born 
in Binghampton, New York, May 27, 1843. When a small child his par- 
ents moved to Waukegan, 111., where he lived till 1869. During this time 
he served for three years in the army. In April, 1869, he came to Platte 
county, Nebraska, where he lived till he came to Valley county. In Jan- 
uary, 1872, he took out papers homesteading the first farm in Valley 
county. In 1874 he moved to his timber claim adjoining his homestead but 
being in Greeley county. On July 4, 1874, he married Miss Mamie Burdick. 
WALLACE, VIOLA— The first white woman in Greeley county was 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



259 




Mrs. Viola Wallace, wife" 61' James L. Wallace. She arrived with her hus- 
band in December. 1871. They settled on the creek which today bears 
their name, "Wallace Creek." A brother of Mrs. Wallace, George Wal- 
lace, came with them, taking an adjoining claim. Mrs. Wallace was a lady 
of education and refinement, born and educated in the southern city of 
Norfolk, Virginia. Mrs. Wallace was a brave little woman and bore the 
o-reat change from the luxurious home in the city to a settler's cabin on 
the extreme frontier with wonderful fortitude. Mrs. Wallace (now Mrs. 
Thomas Grandberry) lives at Long Pine, Nebr. 

SHEPARD, ALONZO— is one of the first four 
settlers of the North Loup Valley. He was born in 
Canton, Mass., in 1836. When but six years old his 
parents moved to Illinois where he lived till 1867. 
At this time he decided to come to Nebraska and 
after spending six months in Omaha finally took up 
a pre-emption claim in Platte county. In the fall of 
1871 he came to this valley and took a homestead in 
Greeley county whither he moved with his family in 
April, 1872. Mr. Shepard was married in 18G6 and 
to the couple but one child was born. Mr. Shepard 
was a member of the first militia but was never engaged in any fights 
against the Indians. 

VANSKIKE SETTLEMENT— No history of the North Loup Valley 
would be complete witnout mention of the Vanskike settlement. Three 
brothers, John, James and Jefferson, with their brother-in-law, Joe Con- 
way, came to the valley in the spring of 1872. They settled in Howard 
county, just below the Greeley county line. They were all typical pio- 
neers. They cheerfully bore their part in the early years and made many 
friends. Their homes were noted for hospitality. 

WEEKES, WILLIAM BYRON— grain and live stock dealer, Scotia, 
Greeley county, was born in Illinois near the city of Cairo, November 5, 
1859. He is of English ancestry, and his father, Thomas Weekes, was a 
soldier in both the Mexican and the Civil Wars, was mortally wounded at 
Hartsville. Tennessee, December 1, 1862, and was taken prisoner by the 
Confederates, and soon after died in Libby prison. The mother of Mr. 
Weekes was in maidenhood Elizabeth Lindridge. After the death of her 
husband she cared for her children the best she could, and gave them the 
advantage of a common school education. Before he was sixteen years old, 
with an elder brother, Charles Weekes, William came to Nebraska and set- 
tled upon a homestead in Greeley county. This was in the fall of 1875, and 
since then Greeley county has been his permanent home. He was success- 
ful as a farmer and a stock grower, and for some years has been as success- 
ful as a dealer in stock and grain. In the quarter of a century that he has 
resided in Greeley county, he has seen the country about him converted 
into rich farms, and railroads and towns built up. He has carved his own 
fortune by industriously working, and is in independent circumstances. In 



260 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

the matter of politics he has always been a Republican. From 1886 to 
1890 he served as treasurer of Greeley county, and in 1891 was one of the 
Board of County Supervisors. He is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree 
and is also a member of the Woodmen and the Tribe of Ben Hur. He is a 
member of ; the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married June 12, 
1881, to Nora A. Whitehead, and has six children — Charles W., now a 
physician in Scotia, Edwin and Edgar, twins, Chester, Cecil and Edith 
Weekes. 



Loup County. 

BROMWICH, URIAH— Mr. Uriah Bromwich was born in Chicago, 
111., in 1853. Upon tne death of his father six months later, his mother 
went to Canada, soon however to return to Chicago. She next spent sev- 
eral years in southern Wisconsin, landing in Minnesota in 1858. Here Mr. 
Bromwich grew to manhood. He married Miss Elnora Fay in 1876. In 
October of 1878 he came to Loup county and pre-empted. He then home- 
steaded just across the line in Custer county in 1880. From Mr. Brom- 
wich 's home one has a fine view of the Loup Valley for miles. 

CLARK, WILLIAM A. — is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was 
born in May, 1854. He spent the first twenty-five years of his life in Juni- 
ata and LaSalle counties of that state, though he has lived the rest of his 
life in Nebraska. In 1879 he took up a claim in Loup county about five 
miles west of Taylor where he still lives. In 1898 he went to Burwell and 
spent two years in the implement business there, but he sold out at the end 
of that time and returned to his Loup county home. He was elected to the 
office of county treasurer of Loup county in the fall of 1903. 

COPP, CALVIN L. — was born in Tiogo county, Pennsylvania, in 1848. 
He left the old Quaker state when eight years old, and saw life in Missouri 
and Iowa before he came to Nebraska in 1869. He married Elizabeth Rob- 
Iyer of York county and came to Loup county in 1879. He has spent 
twenty-five years near Almeria and Moulton farming and is now cozily 
homed in Taylor. Mr. Copp has yet large landed interests in the county. 
He has been a lifelong Republican, though he has never been actively en- 
gaged in politics. Mr. Copp never grows weary telling of the strenuous 
days when he had to haul whole loads of cedar posts to Grand Island to ex- 
change for a sack of flour and a plug of tobacco. 

CROUGHELL, THOMAS— was born in Hartford county, Connecticut, 
in December, 1854. Here he lived until 1878 when he moved to Nebraska 
and settled in Loup county, about two miles west from Taylor. While in 
Connecticut he worked in a cotton factory where all kinds of cotton fabrics 
were made. But since coming to Nebraska he has successfully devoted 
his time to farming and stockraising. 

FAY, STEPHEN — is one of the many men who believe in the future 
of the Loup county sand-hills. He was born in Wisconsin, near Fon du 
Lac, in 1863, though raised in Vivian county, Minnesota. He farmed in 



BIOGRAPHICAL 261 



Freeborn county, Minnesota, many years. In 1879 he came to Loup county 
and settled two miles south of Taylor. He was a young man then and to 
make a way for himself had to become a "cowpuncher" on the Snake 
River range. He married Rosetta Caldwell in 1884 and has four children. 
At present he owns 400 acres of pasture and hay lands north of Taylor 
where he keeps his herd of cattle. 

GARD DAVID A.— was born in Morris county, N. J., and at the age 
of 18 years was employed" in a store at Dover. At the breaking out of the 
war he was the first in the city to enlist. He was a member of Company 
B Second Regiment, N. J. Vol. Infantry, and was attached to Gen. Phil. 
Kearney's famous Jersey Brigade, and participated in all its battles from 
first Bull Run to the fall of Petersburg. He received five wounds, and was 
left on the field at South Mountain, being badly wounded while charging a 
battery. He was captured May 6, 1864, in the Wilderness and, with six of 
his comrades, made his escape the following day. He was married in 1866 
and removed to Iowa, where he worked at the carpenter's trade for seven 
years In 1876 he moved to Grand Island, Neb., and one year later, to a 
homestead in the unorganized territory now known as Loup county, then 
100 miles from the nearest railroad. He was mainly instrumental m organ- 
izing the county and was its first clerk. He was one of the most successful 
homestead farmers of that region. On account of poor health caused by 
injuries received in the army, he abandoned farming, and m 1*89 removed 
to Ord, and for four years conducted the Transit House. In 1894 he was 
elected mayor of Ord on the anti-license ticket. For some years Mr Gard 
has been one of the chief promoters of the American Order of Protection, a 
very flourishing fraternal insurance order. At the present he resides in 

Lincoln. . _ . . -r, nnr . 

HENRY G S.— first saw the light of day in Lycoming county, Penn- 
sylvania, on 'the 17th day of April, 1873. He came with his parents to 
Adair county, Iowa, at the age of four and lived there until his removal to 
Loup county, Nebraska, in February, 1884. Mr. Henry's education has 
been received in the schools at Cromwell and Fontanelle, Iowa, and of Loup 
county, Nebraska. His marriage to Miss Myrtle B. Messersmith occurred 
May 26, 1904. He is serving his first term as county clerk of Loup county, 
being elected to that office by his chosen party, the Republican. 

HOOPER HENRY-is surely a man of varied experiences. He was 
born in Ohio in 1843. Here he lived until 1867 when he moved to Illinois. 
He staved here for about four years as a farmer when he moved to Ne- 
braska, where he spent the next few years of his life as a hunter and trap- 
per He finally found his way to Loup county where he took to farming 
Mr' Hooper saw considerable service in the U. S. army during the Civil 
War. He enlisted in July, 1862, in Co. F, 90th Ohio Volunteers. He 
served for three years, being mustered out in July, 1865. He engaged in 
the battles of Prairieville, Stone River, Chickamaaga, and was severely 
wounded in the battle of Kennesaw Mountain. 

ROBLYER, JACOB— was born in Pennsylvania in 184b. He went to 



262 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



Iowa in 1867 whence he moved to eastern Nebraska three years later. In 
1879 he moved up the Loup Valley to his present home two miles southeast 
from Almeria. He was married in 1872 and has lived the life of a farmer 
ever since. Mr. Roblyer enlisted in Co. C, 171st Pennsylvania Volunteers 
in 1861, and after serving two years was mustered out in July, 1863. In 
1864 he re-enlisted in the 1st New York Light Artillery, from which he was 
given an honorable discharge in July, 1865. 

STEPHENS, WILLI AM— was "born near Rockford, 111., in 1849. When 
but five years old his parents moved to LaSalle county where he lived until 
1878. At this time he moved to Loup county, Nebraska, and settled on the 
farm that he now works. He was married in the spring of 1888. Mr. 
Stephens has gone through many experiences in this valley, some of which 
were very unpleasant. He has seen the blizzards and hailstorms of early 
years, to say nothing of his experiences with Doc. Middleton's gang of 
horsethieves. 

WILLIAMS, T. W. — Among the earliest of Loup county's pioneers 
was Mr. T. W. Williams, who like some others, had come a long way to 

find his present home. He was born in Wales, 
February 7, 1841. When but a lad of 13 years, he 
came to the old historic Schuylkill county, Penn- 
sylvania. Here he grew to manhood and, on 
March 29, 1862, he married Miss Mary Lewis of 
Pottsville, Penn. In the summer of 1865 they 
came to Missouri and for nine years lived in 
Mason county. They then came to York county. 
The following year they went to Hamilton county, 
arriving in Loup county in 1876. Here they 
homesteaded their present farm. They have had 
The T. w. Williams Family, thirteen children, seven of which are now living. 
WOODS, L. W. — was born in Farmington, Iowa, in 1859. When but 
four years of age his parents moved to Missouri where he remained until 
1875. At this time he moved to Nebraska and settled in Burt county. He 
came to this valley in 1877 and took up his home in Custer county, border- 
ing on the Loup county line. He has lived in this place ever since as a 
tiller of the soil. 



^ 






..M t 



The Men and Women Who are Making the History of the Loup 

Valley. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

In this section the Trail of the Loup is rounded off and completed. 
Former chapters have told the story of the first-comers, of those who 
blazed the trail. Their work is practically at an end. The energy and en- 
terprise of a later generation is even riow transforming the pioneer hamlet 
and village into the modern city. Embryo cities are indeed springing up 
in the Loup Valley. Their ultimate growth and importance will depend to 
a marked extent on the ability and enterprise of the men who are building 
them. We have been fortunate in this respect. The business men of Loup, 
Garfield, Valley and Greeley counties are, upon the whole, self-made men 
who have kept in touch with the world and its progress, who, indeed, have 
ever kept in the vanguard of its progress. The following pages tell the 
life-stories of a majority of the men and firms which are making our history 
today : 



Ord. 

BAILEY BROTHERS.— In course of years many of our prosperous 
farmers have turned their attention to breeding high grade cattle, and 
feeding these for the top market. One of the most successful firms of this 
kind in the Loup Valley is Bailey Brothers, whose fine stock-farm lies 
across the river and in' sight of Ord. The Bailey brothers—Harry and 
Geor ge— are sons of Daniel Cooley Bailey, one of the fathers of the Valley. 
The brothers were both born in New York state in the early 50's and 
moved with their parents to Wisconsin in 1855. In the summer of 1872 the 
Baileys arrived in Springdale from Wisconsin. The next spring they 
moved onto the excellent farmsteads which they have done so much to 
improve down through' the years. The brothers are expert farmers and 
stock raisers. Of late years— indeed beginning in 1890— they have taken 
to raising pure blooded shorthorn cattle. Their idea is that it is just as 
cheap to raise high grade cattle as scrubs, and on the market they are 
shure to bring better prices. Indeed it is a very ordinary matter for this 



264 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

firm to sell their sleek, corn-fed steers on the Omaha or Chicago markets 
and get the very top prices for them. 

BARNES & McGREW— Charlie Barnes is one of the old-timers in Ord. 
Indeed he has been in the barber business here since 1884, thus laying a 
just claim to being the oldest established barber in the county. With him 
is associated the popular young barber, Clayton E. McGrew, who learned 
his trade from Mr. Barnes years ago when the latter operated his shop in 
the old Hotel D'America. The firm is located on the north side of the pub- 
lic square, where it owns its own building. Absolute proficiency has built 
up for the firm a large and evergrowing patronage. 

BOTTS, HOMER— was born in Iowa in 1873. He learned his trade of 
carpentry, in his home state and when he came to Ord in 1897, it did not 
take him long to make a reputation as a builder and contractor. Fine 
buildings constructed by him in Ord and Burwell attest to his unusual skill 
in his chosen profession. 

BARTUNEK BROTHERS & NELSON— is the title of one of the new- 
est firms to open business in Ord. Anton and Paul 
Bartunek had carried on a prosperous business at 
Walbach where they catered to a satisfied pubilc for 
seven years. Prior to this Anton had worked in the 
largest business house in St. Paul and there gained 
invaluable experience. The Bartuneks are Bohemi- 
ans by birth. Their early and commercial education 
was procured in the old homeland, which they left 
in 1883. Gus H. Nelson, the third member of the 
firm, is a Scandinavian by birth and was formerly en- 
gaged in the general merchandise business at 
Anton Bartunek Greeley Center. The firm is located in the fine new 

Misko block on the north side of the public square. Here they have a 
store room 24x80 feet large, well stored with general merchandise. Fine 
drygoods and shoes are one of their specialties. They are now doing a 
$40,000 business and face a bright future indeed. 

BLESSING, ALVIN, — who has lately resigned his position as county 
clerk of Valley county to accept the position of assistant cashier in the 
First National Bank at Ord was born December 11, 1871, at LaGrange, 
Michigan, from which place he came with his parents to the so-called 
''Michigan Settlement" in Valley county, in 1880. He has taught school and 
farmed, making a success of both. Four years ago he entered politics and 
was elected county clerk on the Republican ticket. Mr. Blessing is quite 
a landowner and has lately completed one of the most comfortable and com- 
modious homes in Ord. 

CAPRON, JOE H., — the Ord real estate dealer, may justly lay claim 
to being one of the old timers. His early history told in the chapter on 
village organization, needs no repetition here. From quartermaster's 
clerk at Ft. Hartsuff he became editor of the Valley county Journal, which 
he continued to publish till July, 1887, when he sold the paper to C. C, 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



265 




Wolf. It is as a dealer in real estate, rental and abstract work that Mr. 
Capron has made a name for himself. During his long residence he has 
become acquainted with every part of the Loup Valley, its people, pro- 
ducts, prices, etc., and as such is now in position to give immigrants and 
investors the benefit of his intimate knowledge. Mr. Capron, who has 
become a man of means, is just completing one of the finest residences in 
Ord. 

BOND, ANGIE R.— the only exclusive milliner 
in Ord, was- born in Michigan in 1*74. She came 
with her parents to Valley county in 1877 and spent 
some years in the so-called Michigan colony in what 
is now Michigan township. She served her appren- 
ticeship as a milliner in the employ of Mrs. Lee, an 
oldtime business woman of Ord. The next ten years 
she spent in the employ of G. W. Milford and Prank 
Mallory. When she started in business for herself 
she had a millinery experience of twelve years. Her 
first venture was in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, from 
whence she came to Ord in 1903. She carries a very 
excellent stock of goods and is known up and down the Valley for her fair 
dealing. 

CLEMENTS, ARTHUR A.— county attorney of Valley county and one 
of the most successful young attorneys in the Loup Valley, was born March 
20, 1H70, in Allegan county, Michigan, when he came to Ord in 1893. Here 
he became associated with his brothers, E. J. and E. P. Clements, of the 
law firm of Clements Brothers; first as a student apprentice, later as a 
partner in the business,. As county attorney he is now in his second term. 
On January 2H, 1900, he was married to Adelheid Reithardt. They have 
two children. 

CORNELL BROS. — No more energetic and enterprising business men 
can be found anywhere than Cornell Brothers of Ord, dealers in hardware, 
tinware, stoves, plumbers materials etc. The genesis of their business is 
indeed interesting. The firm name was originally P. W. Weaver & Co., 
who used to run a small hardware store in partnership with Hans C. Sor- 
ensen, at the southeast corner of the square. In November, 1884, this firm 
was dissolved and P. W. Weaver moved into the old Cheeseborough brick 
east of the post office where he operated a successful store for many years. 
Finally ill health forced him to give up business and he was succeeded by 
Cornell Bros., who came here from Alliance, well schooled in the de- 
tails of a successful hardware and tinware business. The firm early found 
their quarters in the Weaver brick too cramped for their growing business 
and were obliged to move into the much more commodious Perry building 
west of the postoffice. But even this place of business has proven too 
small to- accommodate the large stock that the Cornells have found it ex- 
pedient to carry. Two large warehouses in other parts of the city are 
now used to store the goods which they usually purchase by the car lot. 



266 - THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

In the main store is carried a well chosen stock of builder's materials, 
carpenter's and machinists' tools, cutlery, stoves and ranges, tin, copper 
and sheet iron goods in great variety. The work shop turns out all man- 
ner of tin work, including roofing and cornice work. The construction of 
pumps and windmills, and general plumbing are also important factors in 
this complete establishment. It is interesting to know that the volume of 
business for a single month during the summer of 1904 exceeded $11,000. 
Last year they purchased the Perry building, and now having added a 
complete farm machinery line of goods, have put up large warehouses to 
shelter the goods, 

ERET, GEORGE C— was born in 1874 at East Saginaw, Mich. His 
early schooling was procured at Red Cloud, Nebr., where he came as a 
child. Prom earliest childhood he showed a marked talent for music, receiv- 
ing his musical education at St. Louis. He is especially fine on the violin 
and band instruments, having been leader of bands at Shawnee, Okla., 
Oklahoma City, Curtis, Nebr., and other places. Coming to Ord in 1897, 
he engaged in the barber business but left this to devote himself entirely 
to his loved music. He was married in 1899 to Miss Mary Masin, an ac- 
complished musician. He has been director of the orchestra for three 
years and of the Ord band since 1904. He deals in pianos and also does 
piano tuning and regulating. 

PACKLER & FLETCHER— The firm of Packler & Fletcher, though 
comparatively new in Ord, is fast making a name for itself through square 
dealing and correct business methods. Samuel Fackler, the senior mem- 
ber of the firm, came to Ord in the fall of 1898 and engaged in the grocery 
business in a small way. He was then located where Mr. Stara's meat mar- 
ket now is. But the venture prospered from the first and Mr. Fackler had 
to seek a more commodious store building. This was found in the Wood- 
bury building on the south side of the square. Mr. E. L. Collin became 
a member firmof the in 1902; he retired two years later, having sold his 
share to L. C. Fletcher. The reconstructed firm continued prosperous and 
again had to seek larger quarters. Accordingly they moved to the large 
Milford building where they are now located. At the present they are oc- 
cupying a salesroom one hundred and ten feet in length and one of the most 
spacious warehouses in the city. Theirs is today the only exclusive 
grocery in Ord. The annual sales exceed $20,000. 

FIRKINS, ALONZO J. — is one of our most successful stock breeders. 
He was born in DeKalb county, Illinois, in 1863, where he grew up and 
spent his early years, getting well acquainted with all the outs and ins of 
farm life. In 18^3 he came to Valley county and possessed himself of the 
famous Cedar Lawn Farm, half a mile from Ord. Here he has occupied his 
time at farming, stock raising and breeding. While he has spent some 
time in raising Shropshire sheep and Poland China hogs, he now gives his 
time principally to raisins: and breeding pureblooded Hereford cattle. His 
herd at the present numbers some of the finest specimens in America and 
his stock is sought after by breeders from every part of the United States, 



BIOGRAPHICAL 267 

Mr. Firkins has thus had orders all the way from South Carolina and Vir- 
ginia. Mr. Firkins has become a man of more than ordinary means during 
his twenty-two years on the Loup. He owns among other things a large 
ranch— the Klondike— in Garfield county. He was for years manager of the 
Ord Hardware Company and has been a member and president of the Ord 
school board for many years. 

FIRST NATIONAL BANK— The economic history of any section of 
our country may be read in the history of its financial institutions. That 
the Loup Valley has made remarkable progress clown through the years is 
nowhere more clearly demonstrated than through a study of its banking 
bouses. Of these the First National Bank of Ord came into existence as a 
private bank in 1880. It was rechartered as a national bank May 1, 1885, 
with a capital of $50,000. The organizers were J. H. Bell, D. C. Bell, H. 
A. Babcock, Wm. C. Wentz, J. C. Post, Geo. A. Percival and P. Mortensen. 
H. A. Babcock was elected president of the board, but resigned and J. H. 
Bell was elected in his stead. Mr. Babcock now became vice president, 
Geo. A Percival, cashier, and P. Mortensen, assistant cashier. In Jan- 
uary, 1887, Mr. Mortensen was elected president, an office which he yet 
fills. Mr. Percival resigned his post as cashier in December, 1888, and was 
succeeded by Fred Bartlett who in turn was followed by W. E. Mitchell. 
The latter held the responsible trust till May, 1891. His brother E. N. 
Mitchell released him, retiring in January, 1896, to be succeeded by the 
present cashier, Everett M. Williams. Other officers are G. W. Mickel- 
wait, vice-president, and Alvin Blessing, assistant cashier. The First 
National Bank was founded by men of exceptional financial ability and has 
from its inception had the confidence of the public. When financial storms 
came and swept over the country, the First National found no trouble in 
weathering them all. Much of this success may no doubt be traced to Mr. 
Mortensen, than whom there is no greater financier in Nebraska today. His 
rise in the commercial world has been little less than phenomenal. From 
a dugout on the prairie to office in the state capitol, all in the space of three 
decades is a record for any man to be proud of, and this is what the presi- 
dent of the First National has accomplished. The bank has always been 
conservative in business and yet at all times ready to extend aid and assist 
in the growth of commerce whenever consistent with safe banking princi- 
ples. It has indeed been one of the greatest factors in the development of 
the Loup Valley. The steady growth of this institution can readily be 
gathered from a comparison of its financial statements published from time 
to time. Thus in July, 1885, its loans and discounts amounted to $17,55*. 30, 
while today the same items foot up to $344, 660. 3K ; then the deposits reached 
$20,000.00, now $302,000.00. 

GARD, GEORGE R. — Ord's genial dentist, is most decidedly a Loup 
Valley product, his entire life having been spent among us. He was born 
September 6, 1879, at Kent, Nebr., a village between Taylor and Burwell, 
of which his father was one of the founders. Coming to Ord in 1mh7, he 
entered the public schools, continuing the education begun at Kent. Being 



268 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

eager to enter upon his professional life, he did not complete his high 
school course but, after first serving a brief apprenticeship in the offices of 
the leading dentists of Ord, matriculated in the Dental Department of the 
University of Omaha. He continued in school here from 1898 until 1901 
when he received the degree of D. D. S. Immediately returning to Ord, he 
opened offices in the Mortensen block and is still in the same location, hav- 
ing there a fine suite of four rooms. He does not confine himself to prac- 
tice in Ord but makes regular trips to Arcadia and North Loud. In April, 
1904, he was married to Miss Breezie Parks, a young lady accomplished in 
business and musical attainments. They have built a most beautiful and 
convenient residence in the western part of the city. 

GREGORY. JOHN WILSON— proprietor of the well known Turtle 
Creek Stock Farm, was born in Marion county, Iowa, in I860. He spent 
his youth and early manhood on the farm still owned by his father. Here 
he gained much of the training which later stood him so well in stead as 
the expert stock-raiser. He procured his early book learning, too, while 
on the old home farm. Mr. Gregory came to Valley county May 10, 1884, 
and ever since has been actively engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 
1887 he bought the Chris Keller farm on lower Turtle Creek and converted 
it into a first class stock farm. He has been intimately connected with the 
hog-raising interests in this part of the state for many years. His special- 
ty is pure bred swine. Indeed, he is the owner of the oldest herd of re- 
corded Poland China Swine in Valley county. Mr. Gregory has made 
quite a name for himself in this field and his stock is everywhere in great 
demand. Although a busy man, he has found some spare time for politics. 
He belongs to the People's Independent Party, and is now serving his 
third term as supervisor from the first district. In 1897 he married Miss 
Mary Tucker. Mrs. Gregory, who was born in Effingham county, Illinois, 
came to Nebraska in 1887, aud to Ord two years later. She attended the 
Ord High School and the Fremont Normal and taught in the Ord schools 
from 1896 to 1897. The Gregorys have two children — J. W. Jr., and Joseph. 
GUDMUNDSEN, JUDGE HJALMAR— is a native of Denmark, though 
coming from a good old Iceland ancestry. He was born at Nysted, Den- 
mark, May 27, 1860, where he spent the days -of his youth. His early 

training came from the hand of private tutors who 
advanced him through the Danish Latin School 
course. In common with other young countrymen, 
h« early became anxious to make a way for himself 
in the promised land — America. Accordingly he sail- 
ed for Quebec, which he reached in 1878. After 
spending; a year in Canada he journeyed on to the 
United States. Five years were now spent in the 
regular army, U. S. A. Receiving an honorable dis- 
charge, Mr. Gudmundsen was so fortunate as to re- 
ceive the superintendency of the Shoshone Indian 
Training School. This he held till Cleveland's first administration, when 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



269 



he resinged to give place to a Democratic appointee. In 1884 he married 
Miss Katie B. Jensen, of Shoshone. The family came to Ord in lsss and 
has resided here ever since. Mrs. Gudmundsen died in 1902, leaving sev- 
en chilrden living. Mr. Gudmundsen has filled various positions of honor 
during the seventeen years spent in Valley county. He was deputy county 
clerk under several administrations, and has served both as assessor and 
treasurer of his township. When the Spanish American War broke out in 
1898 he was captain of Co. B, 2nd Reg. N. N. G., and in that capacity 
marched his company to the front. The company did not however get be- 
yond Chickamauga. In November, 1903, he was elected county judge, an 
office which he fills with much credit to himself and his party. 

HALDEMAN, P. D.— Dr. Frederick D. Haldeman was born October 

2, 1859, in Muscatine county, Iowa. 
He received his early education at 
West Liberty High School and then 
matriculated at the Iowa State Univer- 
sity. From early boyhood had he de- 
cided upon medicine as his chosen 
profession. To gain his end he en- 
ered the office of Dr. W. S Gibbs, at 
Downy, Iowa. He took his first course 
of medical lectures at the Medical De- 
partment of the State University at 
Iowa City. The remaining two cours- 
es were taken at Omaha, in the new 
medical school. Dr. Haldeman grad- 
uated from this institution March 23, 
1882, and had the honor of being the 
valedictorian of his class. He imme- 
diately located at Ord and has through the years built up a very large 
practice. By his profession he has been honored, being in 1*96 elected 
president of the Nebraska State Medical Society. By his fellow townsmen 
he is considered one of the most substantial of professional men. Dr. 
Haldeman was married to Miss Olive A. Newbecker of Ottawa, 111., Jan- 
uary 14, 1885. Two children were born to them— Irma and Keene— the 
death of the former resulting after a long sick spell, Dec. 25, 1905. 

KOKES, JOHN— was born in Bohemia March 16, 1864. He attended 
school in his native country for some twelve years, two of which were 
spent in the Bohemian Real School. He came to the United States in 
1880 and settled with his parents on a homestead in Michigan township, 
Valley county. He later moved to the White River country and homestead 
ed a farm there. After spending some years out west he settled on the 
sand flats. Here his wife died in 1901. He now entered politics and was 
elected sheriff. In 1903 he was reelected to this office. 

JONES, ALTA BELLE— was born February 11, 1877, in Warren 
county, Illinois. She moved to Missouri in 1879 and received her early ed- 





230 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

ucation there. In 1887 she came to Valley county -with her parents. She 
graduated from the Ord High School in the class of 1893 and immediately 
commenced teaching. Her experience in this, her chosen field covers 
three years in the rural schools, five years in the Ord schools and two 
years in the schools of Colorado. While a busy teacher she has neglected 
no opportunity for self improvement. Thus she has attended summer 
school at the University of Nebraska, at Drake University, and at schools 
in Grand Island and Fremont. She was elected county superintendent on 
the Republican ticket in 1903. 

HONNOLD, A. R. — One of the youngest of the successful members of 
the Ord bar is Arthur Rankin Honnold. His father 
came to Valley county in 1874 and settled in Mira 
Valley. Here Arthur was born in 1876. He has thus 
grown up in and with Valley county. His early ed 
ucation was gotten in the rural schools and the Ord 
High School, from which latter institution he. grad- 
uated in 1898. After completing a course in the 
Grand Island Business College he was appointed 
state accountant of the Insane Hospital at Lincoln. 
Two years later he entered the law department of 
the University of Nebraska, graduating with the law 
ckihs oi lyu4. run same year he was associated in law practice with Victor 
O, Johnson at Ord. October 1, 1904, Mr. Johnson retired from the firm, 
moving to Oklahoma. This left Mr. Honnold in sole possession. He has 
been very successful. As an evidence of this he has purchased the exten- 
sive law library of the late Judge Chas. A. Munn. Aside from his legal 
practice Mr. Honnold deals in real estate and writes insurance. 

KOUPAL & BARSTOW — It is safe to say that of the many firms doing 
business in our Valley, none have been more successful along legitimate 
lines than has Koupal & Barstow Lumber Company. Frank Koupal, 
who manages the local yard, is practically a Valley county product so far 
as his business career is concerned. Though born in Bohemia — January 
29, 1805 — his education was practically all procured in the country of his 
adoption. He appeared before the public first as a trusted employee in 
the Jaques Grain Company and in politics as county clerk between 1898 
and 1900. William T. Barstow, who now resides at Lincoln, is a New 
Englander and came to Ord in the early '80's. He clerked in the old B. C. 
White store for a while; but his unusual ability was soon recognized by 
CM. Jaques, the grain dealer, who first took him into his employ and later 
into partnership. The Koupal & Brastow Lumber Company is incorpo- 
rated with a captal of $50,000 and owns and operates yards at Ord, Greeley 
Center, Sargent and Ericson. It carries in stock enormous quantities of 
building materials of all kinds and is through its accurate and business.like 
methods rapidly attaining an enviable position among the leading lumber 
firms of the state. 

MISKO, FRANK— was born in Bohemia in 1853. He came from very 



BIOGRAPHICAL 271 

good ancestry there. His parents sent him to school at an early age and 
later apprenticed him in the harness business. Thus time passed till he 
was twenty years old. He now spent three years in the Austrian Army. 
He came to the United States in his early manhood and first sought a ca- 
reer in the great northwest. Thus he alternately followed his profession 
and farmed in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa. He married Miss Mary 
Ray man while in Minnesota. Of this union six children were born, of 
whom four are living. Mr. Misko and family arrived at Ordin 1882. Here 
he immediately launched in the harness business. In 1882 he built 
a small brick shop on the north side of the square. But his business rapid- 
ly increased obliging him to build the large two-story brick building where 
he is now located. In 1904 he further built a large double two story build- 
ing on the north side of the square. Mr. Misko is enterprising and public 
spirited tand has done very much indeed to build up Ord. As a dealer in 
harness and other leather goods he is known up and down the Valley for 
many miles. Thus he is known to make regular sales in Custer, Garfield, 
Sherman and Loup counties. Mr. Misko's success in a business way is 
attributable to honest methods and exceptional ability. 

MORTENSEN, PETER— treasurer of the state of Nebraska, belongs 
to the hardy race which comes out of the peninsula of Jutland, Denmark, 
where he was born Oct. 8, 1814. He came to America in lH70and worked in 
coal mines and iron works at and near Warrensburg, Missouri, for a year 
or more. In the spring of 1872 he came as one of the first Danish colony 
to Valley county and entered the northeast quarter of section 8. Town 19, 
Range 14 where he erected the famous first combination dugout-loghouse 
in the county. Prom the very first has he been before the public eye in one 
canaeity and another. His career is worthy of careful study and emula- 
tion. In 1872 he walked barefoot the long distance form Ord to Dannebrog 
with a sackful of plowshares on his back, which needed sharpening. To- 
day he is the treasurer of our great commonwealth; all this he has accom 
plished through common honesty, sound business sense and pure grit. He 
was county treasurer of Valley county from 1875 to 1884; then he was elect- 
ed assistant cashier of the new First National Bank of Ord. , He soon rose 
through the position of cashier to the presidency of the institutiun which 
he yet fills. He has ever been interested in the development of the Loup 
region and is extensively interested in its real estate and gives much atten- 
tion to agriculture and stock raising. He was married February 16, 1878, 
to Jennie H. Williams of West Paw Paw, Illinois, and has one son, Craw- 
ford. 

NEWBECKER, MINERVA M.— was :born in Harrisburg, Pa. Her 
early education was obtained here, she being a graduate of Harrisburg 
Female Seminary. She taught in her native town till lR70when she moved 
with her parents to Illinois where she continued as teacher in Ottawa. In 
1889 she entered the Chicago Medical College of the Northwestern Univer- 
sity. On receiving her degree in 1893, she became interne in Chicago 
Hospital for Women and Children, and later practiced her profession in 



272 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Chicago. She was in Omaha one year and was most successful for over six 
years as woman physician in the State Asylum for insane at Lincoln, Nebr. 
She entered into partnership with Dr. Haldeman at Ord in July, 1901. At 
the expiration of three years she entered into practice alone, first building 
herself an office on Main street and a most comfortable residence. She 
has built up a large practice and is very successful. 

ORD NORMAL AND BUSINESS COLLEGE— while one of the new- 
est institutions established in the city, promises fair to take rank with the 
best schools of its kind. Prof. L. R. Bright, its jjrincipal and organizer, 
is a gentleman of culture, well fitted to make the venture a success. The 
high quality of work done in all departments of the school the past school 

year insures a greatly increased attendance for 
the coming scholastic year, which opens in Sep- 
tember. Prom the new catalogue we glean the 
following interesting facts: "The Ord Normal 
and Business College is just a year old, and starts 
on its second vear with the satisfaction of know- 
ing that the first year was a successful one. Not 
in any manner connected with the school that was 
established by C. W. Roush and which had so un- 
fortunate an experience, the Ord Normal and 
Business College is a fixture in Ord, and is the 



Jk 



home of Prof. Bright, the principal. .Ord is a good place for such a school. 
The business enterprise of the city has placed it ahead of any town in the 
county, and there is a certain vim and push about the town that becomes an 
incentive to a student coming here from other places. The public schools 
of Ord are among the best in the state, and a splendid educational tone per- 
meates the city. Excellent lecture courses are maintained every season. 
The churches of the city are well attended and the pulpits ably filled. The 
young- people of the various church societies will welcome you to their 
services." 

ORD QUIZ, THE— On the 6th day of April, 1882, the first issue of the 
Ord Quiz was printed and issued from a small shack, now gone, on the east 
side of the public square. It was established by the present owner, then a 
young man, with no newspaper experience. He came here because he was 
financially interested in the original townsite and that was all he had on 
earth but a young wife and a few debts incident to several years of college 
going. Whether the town needed another paper he did not know, and 
whether he was at all likely to succeed did not enter his head. From his 
early youth he was determined to be a printer, and as it was practically 
impossible for him to start anywhere else, he started here. For some reas- 
on, the Lord only knows what, the paper has succeeded. It stands pretty 
well in the estimation of the public and among the newspaper men of the 
state. Most everybody in the county permits it to come to his home, and 
most of these pay for it. It has one of the best printing plants in the 
state, equalled only by the best offices in three or four cities, and is housed 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



273 



in a new building erected specially for it last fall by the publisher. The 
Quiz is one of the very few papers which have run for about a quarter of a 
century witnout a change in ownership. Its files, which have been pre- 
served from the beginning, have been largely utilized in the preparation of 
the foregoing history, and are in many instances, the only authority extant. 
ROBBINS, A. M.— attorney-at-law, was born in McHenry county, 111., 
in 1849. Shortly after this his folks moved to Boone county, 111., where 
he lived on a farm until the spring of 1866, when he struck out for himself. 
Going to DeKalb county, in the same state, he continued to work by the 
month as a farm hand until the spring of 1868, when he entered the Teach- 
ers' Institute and Classical Seminary of Bast Paw Paw, 111., and com- 
menced a course of studies. He continued his attendance at the institute 
(with the exception of winters when he was teaching) until July 4, 1873, 
when he graduated and had conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of 
Science. A few weeks aft^r he graduated, he commenced the study of law 
in the office of A. K. Truesdell, of Dixon, 111., and was admitted to practice 
in the fall of 1*75 before the Supreme Court of that state, and in December 
of the same year was admitted to practice at Omaha. On January 1, 1876, 
he opened an office at Papillion, Neb., and soon accumulated a successful 
lucrative practice. He continued in practice there until April, 1881, when 
he moved to Ord. Mr. Robbins has now been a practicing attorney in Ord 
for almost a quarter of a century and has built up a large practice in this 
part of the state. He has represented his district in the state senate and 
held other positions of public trust in his community. As one of the origi- 
nal founders of Ord he has been extensively interested in real estate in and 
around Ord. He was married in 1872 to Miss Cynthia C. Haskell, a resi- 
dent of DeKalb county, Illinois, who is also a graduate of the Classical In- 
stitute of Paw Paw, Illinois. They have seven children who have all grad- 
uated from the Ord High School and later, after pursuing courses of study 
in higher institutions of learning, entered upon honorable careers for them- 
selves. The youngest daughter. Alice, is the wife of the author of "The 
Trail of the Loup." 

STAPLE, R. L.— was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, and moved to 
Grundy county, Iowa, when five years old. In 1879 he came with his par- 
ents to Wheeler county, Nebr., where he spent some years on his father's 
ranch. Clerical work w^as, however, more to Mr. Staple's liking. Accord- 
ingly he went into the Albion postoffice as deputy. Two years later he was 
appointed to a position in the office of the clerk of Boone county. In 1884 
he went into the real estate business with his brother, W. L. Staple, at 
Cumminsville, Nebr., and that fall was appointed county clerk of Wheeler 
county. Two years later he retired to the practice of the law and further 
engaged in the real estate business at Bartlett, Nebr. He was married to 
Miss Margaret Erickson of Ericson, Nebr., in September, 1886, and is now 
the father of four bright children, two boys and two girls. He came to 
Ord with his family in 1892 and immediately hung out his shingle there, 
In January, 1893, he was elected secretary of the Valley County Abstract 



274 THE TRATL OF THE LOUP 

Company, of which organization he became the sole owner ten years later. 
In 1895 he re-entered politics and was elected county judge, and was re- 
elected in 1897, and again in 1899 and in 1901. When the last term expired 
he retired to private life and to the many duties of a growing legal and ab- 
stract business. Mr. Staple's specialty is the examination of titles, in 
which he has had twenty years' experience. He is also extensively en- 
gaged in insurance and real estate business. 

TAYLOR, DR. GEORGE W.— was born at La Porte, Indiana, in 
1877. His early education was gained at the La Porte Hi°h School. Later 
he studied at the University of Tennessee, which he left to enter the Dental 
Department of the University of Illinois. Here he received his degree in 
1901. After being associated with a firm of dentists in Chicago for some 
time, Dr. Taylor came to Ord and entered the partnership of Holson & Tay- 
lor. This was in the fall of 1901. In 1903 Dr. Holson retired, leaving the 
latter in possession of the business at Ord. Dr. Taylor has built up here a 
good practice and is well known for his expert workmanship. 

WATSON & HALLOCK— The firm of Watson & Hallock, barbers, 
was established in 1903. J. E. Watson, the expert tonsorial artist, was 
associated with Charlie Barnes from '99 to '02. Ernest N. Hallock learned 
his trade in Omaha where he spent a number of years. This popular firm 
recently moved into the new Quiz block. Their new quarters are equipped 
with baths and all the latest appurtenances which gu to make up a first- 
class barber shop. 



Arcadia. 



BARTOO, DR. ALBON E.— was born in Eden. Erie county, N. Y., 
in 1862. After completing his studies in the district school he entered 
Springville (N. Y.) Academy where he attended two fall terms. During 
the winter months he taught school and later attended for one term each 
the academies at Forestville and Hamburg. In the fall of 1885 he matricu- 
lated in the Medical Department of the University of Buffalo, from which 
he graduated as president of his class in 1889. For six months he prac- 
ticed in Angola, N. Y., then removed to Wescott, Nebr., and nine months 
later, in 1890, to Arcadia, where he has since lived and where for a time he 
was one of the proprietors of the Crystal Drug Store. The doctor is a 
member of the Custer County Medical Society and the ex-secretary of the 
Loup Valley District Medical Society. In the fall of 1896 he married Miss 
Rosetta F. Potter and the following year built a cozy residence in the 
southern part of town. Dr. and Mrs. Bartoo are the parents of two chil- 
dren, daughters. While always interested in politics the doctor never 
sought any office till in response to unanimous nomination in the Republi- 
can county convention for representative in the fall of 1902, he accepted 
and was elected the first Republican to fill that office for twelve years. He 
was chairman of the Insane Hospital Committee, and a member of Com- 
mittees on Irrigation, Medical Societies, Corporation, and Public Lands and 



BIOGRAPHICAL 275 

Buildings. It was largely due to his work that an appropriation for re- 
building the Norfolk Asylum was secured. He was re-elected represent- 
ative in 1904. 

FRIES, HON. M. L. — one of the best known business men and poli- 
ticians of our state, was born on a farm at Winchester, Virginia, October 
15, 1856. His parents were poor, the father indeed dying before the boy 
was born. The mother too died before he reached manhood. Thus he 
early learned to hustle for himself, a habit which his record shows he has 
been true to ever since. When Mr. Fries was but twelve years old the 
family moved to Jasper county, Missouri. Here he spent His winters in 
the country schools and managed by dint of hard work to get a year's in- 
struction in the Carthage High School. Determined as he was to get an 
education the young man succeeded in getting through and graduating 
from the Scientific Department of the Northern Indiana Normal School. 
Then some years were occupied at teaching school in Indiana and Illinois. 
But failing health forced a change in climate, and for the next three years 
Mr. Fries held the responsible position as president of the Sierra Normal 
College at Auburn, California. This was between 1881-1884. Then for a 
year he was associated with Heald's Business College, San Francisco. In 
the spring of 1886 he located at Arcadia, Valley county, and engaged in 
the lumber business, which he has pursued successfully for almost 
twenty years. Indeed he has now one of the best equipped lumber yards 
in the state, and to judge by his books, does probably as big a business as 
any individual dealer in Nebraska. Mr. Fries is nothing if not public- 
spirited. From the day he first came to the state he has been active in 
politics. Thus he has served as county supervisor for a number of terms. 
He was on the state ticket as a McKinley presidential elector in 1896, and 
has been twice elected state senator from his district. He was one of the 
important special committee that drafted the new revenue law. Mr. Fries 
has during these years of public activity won many friends over the state 
who speak of him as a logical Republican candidate for the gubernatorial 
nomination in 1906. He would indeed make a strong candidate and an ex- 
cellent chief executive. He was married to Cora Anderson in Streator, Il- 
linois, in 1883, and has one daughter, aged nineteen. The Fries family has 
a pleasant home in Arcadia and is exceptionally prosperous. 

ROBINSON HOTEL— There is perhaps nothing more essential to the 
life of a town than a good, first-class hotel. For seven years prior to the 
establishment of the Robinson Hotel in June, 1905, Arcadia had been with- 
out this essential. Joshua M. Robinson, the proprietor of the new hos- 
telry, was born in Mercer county, 111., October 17, 1872. When seven years 
old his parents moved to Nebraska and homesteaded seven miles southwest 
of Loup City. Five years later they removed to a quarter which they had 
pre-empted four miles northeast of Arcadia. Here Mr. Robinson grew to 
manhood. At the age of seventeen years he went to Alliance, near which 
place he taught three very successful years of school. He then attended 
the Scotia Normal and Business University till, he graduated, August 3, 



276 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

1893. For two years he now taught in the country and was afterwards 
principal of the High School at Scotia for the same length of time. For 
the next three years he kept books for W. B. Weekes & Co. of Scotia. 
March 1. 1905, he bought his present hotel property and after extensive 
improvements, opened his house June 11, 1905. The Robinson Hotel is a 
fine three-story structure. It is fitted with all the modern conveniences. 
The rooms are large and airy and heated with hot water. In fact it is as 
good a |2.00 a day house as there is in this part of the state. In February, 
1902, Mr. Robinson married Miss Gertrude B. Sturgeon of Alliance. They 
are the parents of two fine boys. 

SORENSEN, WALTER— Walter Sorensen, one of the leading citizens 
of Arcadia, and who owns a beautiful residence in Arcadia, was born in 
Ribe, Denmark, in 1874 He came to this country in 1891. He went to 
work on a farm near Loup City, Sherman county, which he followed for 
two years, when he entered the barber shop at Loup City as an apprentice. 
He followed the barber business for two years at various points in the 
Loup country, and in 1895, he came to Arcadia, with but 75 cents in his 
pocket, but with a carload of grit. He bought, the barber shop, and started 
business for himself. The fact that today he owns this beautiful home, 
and is in comfortable circumstances tells its own story. This is but an- 
other example of what can be done in the Loup country by one who 
sticks to it. He was married in June, 1899, to Miss Nina Landers, and one 
daughter has been born to them. 



North Loup. 

BABCOCK, E. J. — The most prominent member of the North Loup 
bar for many years has been E. J. Babcock. He was born at Dakota, 
Wisconsin, and came to Valley county in 1872. He received his first college 
education at Doane College, Crete, and later spent some years in Alfred 
University, New York, from which institution he received his Ph. B. in 
1884. Later his alma mater granted him the degree of Ph. M. for post- 
graduate work. His law studies, which were commenced in New York, 
were continued under the veteran Tom Redlon at North Loup. He was 
ultimately admitted to the bar in 1886. Ever since that time Mr. Babcock 
has practiced law before the courts of Nebraska. He is considered one of 
the most successful barristers in this part of the state. 

BABCOCK & G OWEN— The firm of Babcock & Gowen, general mer- 
chandise, is one of the most enterprising of North Loup business interests. 
While the partnership is only one year old at the present writing, it does a 
surprisingly large annual volume of business. The stock which was 
$3,000.00 at the commencement of business in November, 1904, has grad- 
ally been increased till it now amounts to $10,000. Mr. Eddie Babcock, one 
of the partners, is a son of Elder Oscar Babeonk and has been identified 
with North Loup from its very inception. He is well educated, having 
graduated from Michigan University Law School. For eleven years he 
practiced his profession. This was before he entered upon his new busi- 



BIOGRAPHICAL 277 

ness in 1904. Mr. W. E. Gowen, the other member of the firm, was a Min- 
nesota boy who came to North Loup it) the early '70s. He too has been 
identified with many business ventures these last twenty or more years. 

DAVIS, H. E. — North Loup's successful furniture dealer, is compara- 
tively speaking an old-timer. Ho was boi/n in Lewis county, New York, 
in 1855 and ten years later moved to Freeborn county, Minnesota. In 1878 
he again turned westward and settled on a farm one and three quarter 
miles northwest of North Loup. Here he farmed for some years and then 
moved to North Loup and opened a first-class furniture store. He carries 
a very complete stock", invoicing about $7,000. 

FARMERS' STATE BANK— In August, L882, Messrs. Lee Love and 
George W. Post established the Loup Valley Bank, the first banking insti- 
tution in North Loup. The same year the firm name became Sears Bros. 
& Love, to be changed again in May, 1883, to Seares Bros. During the 
last twenty years the town has had a rather varied banking history, com- 
ing to a climax with a failure and close-down during the dry years. Bub 
in May, 1900, tried and practical bankers took hold of affairs and opened 
the Farmers' State Bank. The organizers of the institution were Guy 
Dann, A. U. Dann, Sam McClellan, O. S. Potter, W. E. Gowen and George 
Johnson. Of these A. U. Dann was elected president and Guy Dann 
cashier. The first financial statement of the bank was issued when the in- 
stitution was two months old and is interesting particularly for the sub- 
stantial growth shown when compared with the statement of May 19, L906. 
After a management of the bank covering almost five years the Danns re- 
tired, giving way to a completely new management, composed as follows: 
Samuel McClellan, president; George E. Johnson, cashier; and Robert 
Johnson, third director. In February 1906, L. E. Pugh was elected 
cashier and George E. Johnson elected president and the capital stock of 
the bank increased to $10,000. A statement made at the close of business 
May 19, 1906, discloses the following status. 

Resources. Liabilities. 

. , rv . .. _ , OQ Capital and Surplus Paid In $10,000.00 

Loans and Discounts - - 44,283 88 F ^ 

Undivided Profits - - - 936 60 



Deposits - 67.664 32 



Overdrafts - 1.335 26 

Furniture and Fixtures - - 500 00 
Expenses - 582 88 

Cash and Sight Exchange - 31.945 90 

( Legal Reserve) 

Total - $78,647.92 Total $78,647 92 

HUTCHINS BROTHERS— is a firm of prosperous implement dealers, 
comDrising G. L. Hutchins and E. A. Hutchins, both of whom were born 
in Minnesota. In 1866 they moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they 
spent the most of their youth. In 1884 G. L. Hutchins came to North Loup 
where, with the exception of two years spent in Colorado, he has lived ever 
since. His brother, although he came to Valley county in 1885, did not 
make this his permanent home till years afterwards. In 1892, G. L. Hutch- 
ins commenced business as an implement dealer. However, his stock was 
very small, scarcely invoicing $300, In 1.898, E. A. Hutchins bought an in- 



278 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

terest in his brother's prospering business and since then they have worked 
together. The firm has now a large, growing business and carries a stock 
of implements which will invoice at least $4,000. 

JOHNSON, GEORGE E. — is one of the most enterprising and success- 
ful of Valley county business men. From a farmer he has risen to be one 
of our most prominent bankers and dealers in lumber and grain. He was 
born in Jasper county, Iowa, in 1862 and spent his early manhood there. 
When seventeen years old he came with his parents to Hall county, spend- 
ing three years there on a farm. In 1882 the family removed to Davis 
Creek where both the father and son George homesteaded. The younger 
Johnson moved from the farm to North Loup in 1886, and there commenced 
his business career. He bought the old Allen coal business and a year 
later commenced buying grain for an Omaha firm. This he continued for 
four years and then began operating his own elevator. In 1902 he opened 
a lumber yard in connection with his other business and prospered from 
the first. The grain elevator was burned to the ground in 1905 but was 
immediately rebuilt larger and better than before. An inspection of the 
Geo. Johnson interests at North Loup impresses one with what general 
thrift and shrewd business ability can accomplish. Mr. Johnson has for a 
number of years been a director of the Farmers' State Bank of North 
Loup and was elected cashier of the institution March 15, 1905. He mar- 
ried Eva Redton in 1885. They are the parents of five children. 

JOHNSON, FRANK — One of the best appointed general merchandise 
stores in North Loup is that operated by Frank Johnson. He occupies the 
most pretentious brick structure in town and covers a very large floor 
space. In 1901 he bought the George Stover stock which invoiced about 
$5,000.00. Since then the business has made rapid strides upward, so that 
now he carries a stock of at least $12,000. Mr. Johnson, who is a son of 
Robert Johnson of Davis Creek, was born in Jasper county, Iowa, in 1873. 
When he was but three or four years old his father moved to Hall county, 
Nebraska, but in 1881 moved up the Loup to Davis Creek. Young Frank 
determined to enter the commercial lists and to that end camt! to North 
Loup and entered the field. For a man so young as he is Mr. Johnson has 
done remarkably well. 

MANCHESTER, I. A.— The lands of the Valley adjacent to North 
Loup have proven to be remarkably well adapted for raising seeds of 
various sorts. Some years ago W. P„ Everingim opened a small seed 
house, contracting popcorn with eastern firms. After some twelve years 
he sold his holdings to Ira A. Manchester who is now rapidly enlarging the 
business by putting in approved machinery in his cleaning and sorting 
rooms. Not alone is he contracting for popcorn, but for barley, oats, mac- 
aroni wheat and several other cereal seeds. His shipments go to every 
part of the United States. Thus, last year he shipped 300 carloads of seed, 
a most remarkable feat. 

MOORE, GEORGE W. — dealer in hardware and stoves, was born in 
Cedar county, Illinois, February 7, 1832. Here he grew up, attending the 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



279 



so-called subscription schools of those early days. He married Mary C. 
Frazier of Indiana and is the father of eight children, four of whom are 
living. The Moores have seen quite a bit of shifting about. Thus they 
came to Iowa in 1863— Mr. Moore farming for years where Missouri Valley 
now stands— later they moved to near Hastings, Nebraska, and finally to 
northern Sherman county. In 1893 Mr. Moore traded bis farm for Charles 
Thrasher's hardware store at North Loup. He is well stocked with gen- 
eral hardware and stoves, and is doing a good business. 

ROOD, WALTER I.— The subject of this sketch was born at Dakota, 
Wisconsin, June 5, 1864. He came to Valley county in the spring of 1875 
and lived on the old homestead in Mira Valley till the winter of 1888, when 
he moved to the village of North Loup, where his home has since been. 
Young Walter attended the country schools but little, as he lost his father 
when but thirteen years of age. This forced the boy to get out and hustle 
for himself. By reading and studying at home evenings he prepared him- 
self for college. In 1893 he matriculated at Milton College and studied 
there for two years. Then followed six years of teaching— two years in 
Illinois and four in Nebraska; the last two as assistant principal at North 
Loup. In 1897 he bought the Loyalist, since which time he has been its 
editor and publisher. He is unmarried and lives with his mother. He has 
been a member of the Village Board of Trustees for seven years and has 
been three years township clerk. 

Burwell. 

BANK, WILLIAM— comes out of old Scotland, and is of good Scotch 
ancestry. He possesses many of the sturdy qualities and traits which have 
made Scotchmen leaders the world over. His birthplace was the city of 
Perth, beautifully situated on the banks of the Tay. He spent twenty-one 
years in the homeland, attending grammar school at Hasting, Eas»a and 
Retrey. -Full four years were then spent in apprenticeship. He became a 
journeyman blacksmith in 1885 and worked in this capacity for a year at 
Blairgowrie. Here he married Miss Susan Saunder and with his young 
wife came to the United States in 1886. The first stop was made in Osborn 
county, Kansas. The family came to Burwell in 1889, where Mr. Bank has 
since followed his trade. Mrs. Bank died in 1896 leaving four chil- 
dren living. William Bank is highly respected in his profession and out- 
side it. He has a first class smithy, furnished with electric motor-power 
and other modern appurtenances. He holds high office in the local Masonic 
lodge, and is the chief of the fire department. He has a valuable farm a 
short distance from town. 

BECKER, WILBER M.— may justly lay claim to be the "Pioneer Mer- 
chant" of Burwell. For his was the first store to be erected on the town- 
site, and with the exception of A. A. Graber, he is the only merchant who 
has stuck to his post continuously up to the present. Mr. Becker was born 
in Schoharie county, New York, in 1842, where he grew to manhood. He 
received nis education in the common schools of his home county and at 



280 



THE TRAIL OF THE JLOUP 



Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. The Becker family moved to Crawford 
county, Iowa, in 1875. Here young Wilber clerked in a store for a while 
and later was taken into partnership with his father, under the firm name 
of Wm. N. Becker & Co. The firm erected a store building at Burwell in 
1883 and placed their stock of general merchandise in charge of George 
Hoyt. Mr. Becker did not take personal charge of the business till 1887, 
however, but since that time he h is never for a moment let go the reins of 
management. It is interesting to know that the present "Pioneer Store" 
block has resulted from the reconstruction of two old, historical structures 
—the first store building erected on Burwell townsite and the C. H. Jones 
store building, first built at old Willow Springs and later moved to Burwell. 
Mr. Becker can teil of hardship and discouragement as known only to the 
earliest settlers. He well remembers the time that eastern wholesalers 
were reluctant to extend him credit on bills exceeding $50.00, and how he 
was forced to live on the old homestead for years after taking charge of 
the store, and having to drive the four miles daily, all because he was too 
poor to prove up on it. But those days are gone and prosperity has smiled 
on the Beckers. Besides doing a good business in the "Pioneer Store" he 
owns a thousand acres of good farm lands occupied by tenants. Mr. Becker 
was married to Miss Mary E. Chauncey at Amsterdam, New York, in 1866. 
Five children have come to bless the family. Of these the three sons 
assist their father in one capacity or another. Of the daughters one— Mrs. 
J. J. Hess— lives on a farm near Burwell. 

BEYNON, DAVID S.— the present postmaster of Burwell, was born 
at Albia, Iowa, December 5, 1856. He was born on the farm and 
reared to manhood there. His early education was such as could 
be procured in the rural schools of those days. When twenty-one years of 
age he began to shift for himself and tried his hand at farming in different 
parts of the state. It was perhaps his marriage to Miss Christina J. Cor- 
nelia that decided him to leave Albia definitely and to seek a career in the 

greater, untramelled west. At any rate as soon 
as this event took place, in December, 1833, he 
. moved with his wife to western Iowa and there 
engaged in farming for two years. But Mr. Bey- 
non was not satisfied to stop here. Accordingly 
the family set out for Nebraska and reached Wil- 
low Springs July 3, 1886. Ever since his arrival 
in Garfield county has Mr. Beynon been inti- 
mately connected with the progress of the county. 
Willow Springs was quite a town then and prom- 
ised to continue the metropolis of the upper Val- 
ley. Mr. Beynon accordingly bought an interest in a drug store there, 
entering partnership with Dr. A. W. Hoyt. Everything went smoothly 
till the B. & M. commenced building to Burwell. Willow Springs was 
doomed and no one realized this more fully than David Beynon. In Feb- 
ruary, 1888, he moved his residence across the ice of the North Loup to 




BIOGRAPHICAL 281 

Burwell; the store building was torn down and rebuilt on Webster street. 
Within the last few years it has been moved to its present location on 
Grand Avenue and further remodelled. Mr. Beynon has been a careful, 
upright business man and has succeeded well. He operates an up-to-date 
drug business, being a registered pharmacist. An index to his general 
prosperity may be seen in the late erection of a beautiful home, costing* at 
least $3,500. In public affairs, too, has he taken a prominent part. Thus 
he has been a member of the school board at Burwell for ten years, chair- 
man of the village board a number of years, and deputy sheriff two terms. 
While acting in the latter capacity he made an enviable record by captur- 
ing Nicholas Foley, the Antelope county murderer and desperado. He was 
appointed postmaster of Burwell August 7, 1897. During his term of 
office, Burwell postoffice has been raised from fourth to third class office. 
causing a raise in salary from $o00 to $110p per annum. Three rural routes 
and four star routes now branch out from this office. The Beynons have 
an interesting family. Of the four children now living Rebecca has grad- 
uated from the Burwell High School and lately from the Fremont Normal. 
She teaches this year at York. John, the only son, is also a graduate of 
the local High School. 

BRAGG, CHARLES I. — county attorney of Garfield county, was born 
at Sanford, New York, in ls63. He was a very precocious boy as may be 
seen from the fact that he had already completed his course at Unadilla 
Academy and received a life certificate to teach school when twelve years 
old. After teaching for a couple of terms in his native state he came west 
and pursued the same occupation at Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. He spent 

three years in the regular army, but soon realized 
that in time of peace the ambitious youth may find 
greater avenues for advancement in civil life. He 
accordingly retired to private life. From ls*2 
onward he engaged in the insurance business. 
This took him to Kent, Loud county, in L885. 
Next year he commenced the study of law and was 
admitted to the bar in 1889. Mr. Bragg has been 
a life-long Republican. He has been very active 
in public life and has taken a leading part in the 
councils of his party. In Loup county he held the 
office of county attorney one term and was county clerk for three years. 
He moved to Burwell in the fall of 1h97 as this town seemed to offer greater 
possibilities for a broader usefulness. While here he became one of the 
founders of the American Order of Protection, though he later devoted all 
his time to law. He was elected county attorney of Garfield county in 
1904 and fills the important position with much cvedit to himself and the 
party that elected him. Mr. Bragg married Miss Jennie M. Ginder in 1885. 
The happy family, including parents and six children, is now nicely located 
in a beautiful home lately erected in the south part of the city. 

CASH MERCANTILE CO.— The Cash Mercantile Co. is one of the 




282 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

thriving institutions of Burwell. Being the successor of Scott Brothers' 
old, well established general store, it carries with its new name all the trade 
of the old. The store is under the management of Peter Scott who is 
recognized as one of the most genial and able business men of our Valley. 
He together with his brother George F. Scott of Taylor constitute the 
company. The business, which is of the nature of general merchandise, is 
well stocked with al! that pertains to a first-class store of this kind. Dry 
goods, shoes, and all kinds of fresh groceries are always kept in stock. 
By dint of hard work and unquestionable honesty the management of the 
Cash Mercantile Co. has built up a trade hard to excel. 

CRAM, ALBERT I. — One of the younger business men in Burwell 
who is succeeding exceptionally well is Albert 1. Cram. He was born at 
Monmouth, Illinois. November 16, 1883, and moved with his parents to 
Loup county, Nebraska, in 1883. He remained on iiis father's farm till 
twenty-one years old, when he decided to prepare for a business career. 
The Munmouth, Illinois, graded schools had given him a foundation upon 
which to build. Some time spent at the David City High School and the 
Omaha Business College then prepared him for his chosen work. He en- 
tered the First Bank of Burwell as book keeper but was soon 
chosen to the responsible position of cashier. Four and one-half years 
later he became a member of Cram Brother, lumber dealers. When the 
firm was reorganized in 1900 under the name of Cram & Co., he was made 
•manager. He married Effie V. Wilson and is the father of three children, 
two boys and one girl. 

CRAM, WILBER I. — is proud that he comes of Irish ancestry, and 
one of his day-dreams for many years has been to visit the home of his 
fathers "across the big sea." He was born at historic Crown Point, New 
York, August 8, 1846, and remained there till eight years old, when he 
moved with his parents to Jackson county, Iowa. Here he remained for 
more than 27 years engaged in farming and stockraising. As a cattle 
judge and specialist he soon won more than local fame. He became a 
breeder of thoroughbred swine and one of the originators of the American 
Poland China Record Association. While here he married Miss Honour 
Filby. They have four sturdy sons who are all making their way in the 
world. Thus O. E. Cram manages the old home ranch in Loup county, A. 
I. Cram is a noted Burwell lumber dealer, Fred C. Cram manages the stock- 
yards at Sargent, and John E. Cram is associated with bis father in the 
Burwell stockyards. The Crams became pioneers in the unorganized ter- 
ritory which later became Loup county. They arrived in 1881, and home- 
steaded the southeast quarter of Section 3, Township 21, Range 19. By 
degrees they have added quarter to quarter till now the ranch, as W. J. 
calls it, contains 1,680 acres of good land. When they first took their claim 
the nearest neighbors were four miles away, and water had to be hauled in 
barrels a distance of seven miles. This led to the sinking of a well 300 
feet deep, every foot of it dug by spade. In those days, too, the nearest 
freight depot was a hundred miles down the river. Mr. Cram feeds in the 




BIOGRAPHICAL 283 

neighborhood of 500 steers on the ranch annually, and otherwise deals in 
in all kinds of livestock. He has lately completed a$4,000 residence prop- 
erty, including a waterworks plant. 

COFFIN, HARRY J. — is a Yankee bred and born. He boasts descent 
from the historic Tristram Coffin who settled on Nantucket Island in the 
middle of the seventeenth century, and whose family is scattered far and 
wide over the American continent today. Harry J. was born at Boston, 

January 16, 1860, and remained in his native 
town till almost 18 years old. He was educated in 
the excellent public schools of the old "Hub" 
city, and later worked in an organ factory there 
for several years. He left the New England states 
and came to Nebraska in the spring of 1878. The 
first pause was made at Schuyler where he farmed 
for four years. In 1883 he took a pre-emption 
near O'Neill, but after six months removed to The 
Forks, Wheeler county, and took a homestead. 
He moved to Burwell in 1902 and purchased the 
Garfield county branch of the Howe Lumber Co., operating the same under 
the title of H. J. Coffin for some time. The firm name has, however, lately 
been changed to Burwell Lumber and Coal Co., with Mr. Coffin as pro- 
prietor. He also operates a lumber yard and general store at El.yria under 
the name of Elyria Mercantile Co., with J. E. Stingley as manager. Mr." 
Coffin is interested in a number of other enterprises and is an extensive 
land owner. He has been on the board of commissioners in his home 
county and has served several terms on the village board. In May, 1893, 
he married Miss Mary Halloran of Inman, Nebr. They have three daugh- 
ters and are nicely located in their elegantly appointed home within a 
block of the lumber yard. 

DORAN, THOMAS H.— Representative from the 49th District, is an 
Irishman bred and born. He came ' out of the picturesque county Carlow 
and when only six months old arrived at New York with his parents. His 
history in this land of his adoption has been a very honorable one. Four 
years saw the family and young Thomas on the trail with faces set toward 
the great west. Tbe first pause in the journey came in LaSalle county, 
Illinois. Here the Dorans remained ten years, indeed till 1865. The next 
move was to Livingston county where the elder Doran died. The care of 
the family now devolved on the fifteen year old Thomas. The worth of the 
man is shown in the ability and conscientiousness with which the stripling 
boy took his father's onerous duties upon himself. Comparative pros- 
perity came with hard work and in 1874 the westward march was continued 
to Beaver, Boone county, Iowa, where Mr. Doran engaged extensively in 
the grain, lumber and livestock business. His popularity and natural in- 
clination for politics were soon rewarded by his being made postmaster of 
Beaver. But it is his career in Nebraska that is our particular theme here. 
He arrived at Burwell in 1889, and in conjunction with his brother John 



284 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

bought the First Bank of Bur well, then operated by the First National 
Bank of Orel. As an important step in strengthening their banking insti- 
tution the brothers bought the Garfield County Bank and merged it with 
the First Bank. Mr. Doran was married at Boone, Iowa, to Miss Ettie 
Satterlee. Of the four children born to them only one, a son, reached ma- 
turity. The latter is now associated in business with his fat/her. It is espe- 
cially for his activity in affairs pertaining to the welfare of his own village 
and district that Mr. Doran has earned the thanks of his neighbors and 
constituents. When the county seat question came up for the last time none 
was more active than Thomas Doran. He has also been a prominent mem- 
ber of the school board for fourteen years, and one of the town buard al- 
most continually since its organization. In 1900 his brother's health failed. 
This led to the sale of the bank to Dann Bros. Mr. Doran and family now 
spent a year in restful travel in California and old Mexico. Upon return- 
ing home in 1901 he engaged in stock raising. His ranch is one of the 
largest in this part of the state, and is the home of many hundred head of 
cattle and horses. Several other enterprises in which he is interested 
should not be overlooked. Thus he became a member of the prominent 
lumber business of Cram & Co. in 1897. A few months ago he purchased 
A. A. Graber's hardware store and placed the same in charge of his son, 
and nephew. As stated above, Mr. Doran represents the 49th District in 
the State Legislature. He is a republican in politics, and his popularity is 
shown by the fact that he carried his district, which is strongly populistic, 
by no less than 252 votes. 

DOUGLAS, L. P.— proprietor of the Burwell House, the leading hotel in 
Burwell, was born in New York state in 1843. He did not come west before 
1876, when he first spent six years in Iowa, after which he moved to Omaha 
and engaged in the mercantile business. He and his wife are practical 
hotel people, having managed first-Cilass hostelries in several cities. The 
Douglas family came to Burwell from Bellwood where they had pursued 
successfully in the same business. The Burwell house caters to both tran- 
sient and local trade. 

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK— had its genesis in the First Bank 
of Burwell, which was for some time operated by the First National Bank 
of Ord. In 18S9 Thomas H. and John Doran purchased this institution and 
merged it with the Garfield County Bank, under the name, however, of the 
former. In 1900 the bank was sold by the Dorans to Dann Brothers. Since 
that time it has been re-organized as a National Bank with a capital of 
$25,000, under a new management of shrewd financiers and moneyed men. 
The present officers nnd stockholders are: W. L. McMullen, president; E. 
Bailey, vice-presidont ; J. M. Conrad, cashier; W. I. Cram, J. A. Brownell, 
M. B. Goodenow, Geo. F. Scott and W. T. Barstow. This bank is doing 
much to promote the material progress of Garfield and Loup counties, and 
carries on a general banking business, receiving deposits, loaning money 
on approved security, discounting acceptable commercial paper, buying and 
selling domestic and foreign exchange, making collections, and generally 



BIOGRAPHICAL 285 

exercises ail the functions of a first-class banking institution. The First 
National is a synonym for stability and integrity. A statement of the con- 
dition of the bank at the close of business May 29. 1905, is as follows: 

RESOURCES LIABILITIES 

Loans $ 57,595 43 Capital $ 25,000 00 

U. S. Bonds and Premiums 10,437 50 Surplus 250 00 

Banking house Fur. and Fix 3,000 00 Undivided Profits 2,329 79 

Cash and Sight Exchange. 72,541 26 Circulation lo,()00 00 

Due from U. S. Treasurer. 500 00 Deposits. 106,494 40 

$ 144,074 19 $ M4,o74 19 

GRABER, ALFRED A.— can rightfully boast of being one of the very 
first merchants in Burwell, for when he opened for business the only store 
on the towtisite besides his own was the Becker store. He comes of good, 
sturdy Swiss ancestry, though born at Mount Eton, Ohio. Until he was 
24 years old the young man worked out, helping his parents who were 
poor. Rut when he finally left home he drifted about considerably before 
settling in Garfield county. Thus we hear of him in Michigan, at Waverly, 
and Wahoo, Nebraska; in 1877, in western Kansas; then in 1879, toiling 
overland to the Black Hills with their dangers and gold. In 1880 he is 
back in his native state, though not to remain, for in 1883, we find him bor- 
ing weJls at Wahoo, Nebraska. He next formed a partnership with a 
Swede and engaged in the hardware business at Meade. But Loup Valley 
history is of more interest to us. As we have said he built the second 
store in Burwell. This was a small structure 10x22 feet large, built at the 
corner of Milwaukee street and Grand Avenue. The store opened the 1st 
of June. 1884, with a $12(10 stock of hardware most of which was gotten on 
credit. But Mr. Graber did well in business. He took an active part in 
the county seat election in 1884- '85 and was instrumental in securing the 
writ of mandamus demanding a recount of votes. Associated with him in 
this were Corn well, Ferguson, Smith, Mathews and other old-timers. 
Down through the years the business grew substantially till Mr. Graber 
found himself the proprietor of quite a department store. Thus in addition 
to hardware he handled farm implements and furniture, and became the 
town undertaker. On June 27, 1903, the store was struck by lightning and 
partially burned, causing a net loss of $3000. Instead of rebuilding Mr: 
Graber bought the stock and plant of B. J. Bunnell, which he again lately 
disposed of to Thomas Doran. Mr. Graber is nothing if not public spirit- 
ed. He has thus been a member of the village board for ten years, and a 
chief promoter in procuring for Burwell a system of waterworks. His 
wife was formerly Miss Louise Keller of Youngston, Ohio. With her 
bright little family of five children, three boy» and two girls, she presides 
over the cozy Graber home situated in the northwest part of town. 

HOLSON, DR. JOHN CLAUDE -is one of the most successful dentists 
in this part of the state. He is an Iowan by birth having spent his early 
days in Iowa City. Here he received his early and higher education. A 



286 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



graduate of the city high school, he matriculated at the medical college of 
the state university of Iowa, pursuing the regular practitioner's course. 
Prom this he graduated in 1890. He then took a course in the Iowa State 
University Dental College, graduating in 1892. He opened his dental par- 
lors in Ord in the summer of 1896 making a specialty of crown and bridge 
work. In September, 1895, he was married to Rose I. Robbins and together 
they continued to make Ord their home till in 1903 they removed to Bur- 
well where they are nicely situated in their cosy home in the south part of 
town. Dr. Holson not alone takes care of the JBurwell patients but has 
branch offices at Comstock, Taylor ar.d Greeley Center. 

HEGNER & DOWNEY.— The firm of Hegner & Downey, dealers in 
farm and agricultural implements, though of com- 
paratively recent origin, is doing a remarkably good 
business. In fact it may be said that Hegner & Down- 
ey are today the only exclusive dealers in their line 
in Garfield county, having recently purchased the 
stock carried by other concerns of the same kind. 
Absolute honesty and strict business principles have 
won for the firm public confidence and given it a 
very enviable name. Theodore F. W. Hegner, the 
senior member of the firm, is a German by birth, 
coming from Alstadt, Germany, where he was born 
March 22, 1865. He arrived at Grand Island, Nebr., 
Here his boyhood was spent. 




T. F. W. Hegner. 

with his parents when just six years old. 
The public schools in those days were rather in their infancy, so that young 
Theodore's schooling was not of the best. A few years in carpentry and 
blacksmithing closed his career in Grand Island. Now follow some years 
of ranching and homesteading in Rock county. His marriage to Miss Edna 
Akins was solemnized June 28, 1893, of which union two children are nuw 
living. Mr. Hegner seems to have preferred his early profession to farm- 
ing for in 1893 he opened a blacksmith shop at Long Pine, coming to Bur- 
well in 1895, continuing the same line here. He still owns his Burwellshop 
though not working it himself The firm of Hegner & Downey was organ- 
ized in March, 1905, though Mr. Hegner had already been in the business 
a year when the change was 
•made. Fred A. Downey was 
born in Buchanan county, Iowa, 
June 26, 1870. He lived there 
till he was seven years old and 
then came to Knox county, Ne- 
braska. Here some nine years 
were spent in school and on the 
farm. After spending four 
years near Norfolk farming, he 
moved to Inman. where he mar- 
ried Miss Delia Hallorail. The Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Downey. 




BIOGRAPHICAL 287 

family arrived at Burwell in 1895 and spent ten years in farming near 
town. As stated above he entered the Implement business of Hegner & 
Downey a few months ago. Aside from carrying a full line of farm and 
agricultural implements, the firm handles buggies and harness of all kinds. 
JANES & SONS— One of the old timers of the Loup doing a good 
business at Burwell is B. F. Janes of the successful firm of Janes & Co. He 
is an old Waushara county, Wisconsin, man, from the earliest date associ- 
ated with the North Loup colony from that county. His father gave his 
life for his country during the Civil War, and thus the care of a widowed 
mother fell to B. F. and his brothers. He moved to North Loup in the early 
seventies and was for many years identified with North Loup in various 
business enterprises. Thus he engaged in livery and dray business and 
pursued carpentry for some time. Later he operated a skating rink at Ord. 
Then in turn he took a homestead near Kent, where he lived for some 
years. Becoming tired of the farm he moved to Burwell where he tried 
his hand at the harness trade and sale of implements. Not until the fall 
of 1900 did he launch upon the business which he is now pursuing — the 
general merchandise business. He started in with a small stock worth 
about $500.00, but soon built up a nice trade. Clayton McGrew now became 
associated with him in the business. In the spring of 1901 they bought 
out McMullen & Conrad; later in the year Mr. McGrew retired from the 
firm, whereupon William, son of B. F. Janes, came in as a junior member. 
During the last four years this firm has had a steadily increasing business 
and today carry one of the best and most complete stock of general mer- 
chandise in the city. 

STACY, EARL— now one of the most successful watchmakers and 
jewellers in our Valley, is an Ord product, having been born there on the 
16th of September, 1881. Here he grew up and was schooled. For a pro- 
fessional course he attended a practical school in watchmaking in the east 
and soon found lucrative employment in the Bell Watch Factory at Cleve- 
land, Ohio As a reward of thrift and ability he was soon promoted to be 
foreman in one of the shops, which position he held for nearly two years. 
Hearing the call of the west he returned to his boyhood home and w T as for 
some time engaged with E. L. Gard at Ord. December 1, 1904, he moved 
to Burwell and opened a first class jewelry shop and watchmaking estab- 
lishment there. He carries a very fine and complete stock and hits the 
confidence of the community in which he now moves and works. 

THURSTON, EUGENE D., M. D— was born at Richford, Wisconsin, 
September 3, 1859. Here he spent his boyhood and received his early 
education. When he was fifteen years old his parents came to Nebraska 
and arrived at Valley county in June, 1875. The elder Thurston bought 
the homestead and timber claim entered by Grandpa J. C. Collins in 1873, 
and located just east of Ord on the Springdale road. The dwelling house 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 288 

on the homestead was constructed from sawed cedar logs and was covered 
with red cedar shingles. The two quarters were bought for $500 then. It 
is interesting to know that now these farms could not be bought for 
120,000. Young Eugene came to the valley early enough to see antelope 
shot on the townsite of Ord. Thus he states that on a certain day in 1876 
"Art" Stacy shot three of these delusive animals just about where the pub- 
lic square now is. But those days are past. In 1880 Mr. Thurston en- 
tered the Methodist Episcopal Seminary at York and remained there for 
some time. He later matriculated at the College of physicians and sur- 
geons at Keokuk, only later to shift to the Medical Department of the Uni- 
versity of Nebraska, wherefrom he graduated in 1884. He hung out his 
shingle at Taylor in 1886 where he remained — barring a short stay at 
Eugene, Oregon — till he moved to Burwell in 1900 to take the practice of 
the late Dr. Cameron. He married Minnie Davis in 1893. They have two 
children, a boy and a girl. Dr. Thurston is known far up and down the 
river as a careful, painstaking physician and jolly good fellow. He is a 
brother of "Herb" Thurston, an early-day sheriff of Valley county, who is 
now located at Longmont, Colorado. 

TODD, WILLIAM Z.— editor of the Burwell Tribune, was born in 
Jones county, Iowa, September 28, 1866. When he was but four years old 
the Todd family moved to Cedar county where William remained till he was 
twenty years old, attending school and working in his father's law office. 
Mr. Todd came to Neligh, Nebraska, in 1883, and took a homestead in 
Wheeler county the next year. In 1888 he was induced by business men of 
Willow Springs to start the Willow Springs Enterprise in that town, to 
counteract the influence of growing Burwell. But when two years later 
the exodus to the latter town began Mr. Todd moved his printing estab- 
lishment thither and founded the Garfield Enterprise. His public activity 
is from this time on chronicled in the chapter on "the Newspaper in the 
Valley." In August, 1892, he married Mollie McKenzie. They have two 
children, a boy and a girl. 

WICKS, ROBERT G.— the genial proprietor of the Racket Store, lo- 
cated at the corner of Grand Avenue and Webster Street, has had a most 
romantic life story. Born at Farnham, England in 1867, he took to the sea 
at the early age of 13. In his voyaging he soon became familiar with the 
ports of the Mediterranean and the Levant. He has sailed through the 
Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and all the Indies reached 
by the latter. Indeed, he can boast of having seen all the continents of our 
earth. Barring the distance from Adelaide to SanPrancisco, he has cir- 
cumnavigated the globe. But Mr. Wicks is inclined to be a little modest 
when taking about these, his early wanderings. Mere chance decided his 
coming to America and the United States. It was "heads," America and 
"tails" Australia. "Heads" won and the Loup added a good citizen to its 
population. He arrived at the small English colony on the Middle Loup, 
near Arcadia in 1886. But he soon tired of life there and went to Chicago 
and entered the employ of the Armours. But he longed for the open 



BIOGRAPHICAL 289 

plains of Nebraska and again he returned to the Loup, this time to Bur- 
well, and immediately engaged in the general merchandise business. This 
was June 1, 1890. His first store-building, the so-called Jerry Schuyler 
building, measured only 18x20, but readily accommodated his small first 
stock. In course of a few years the business grew to such an extent that 
a new building became necessary. Accordingly he moved into the capa- 
cious quarters now in use. He has also enjoyed a large trade from the Sar- 
gent country. So the extension of the B. & M. from Arcadia naturally 
worked him considerable harm. However, he has an excellent business as 
things are and is very prosperous. He owns some five hundred acres of 
farm land under rent and has just completed an elegant home which has 
cost him at least $4,000. Mrs. Wicks was formerly Miss Addie L. Myers. 
They were married in 1892 and have four children, one boy and three 
girls. 

JOHNS & MITCHELL— Burwell is well supplied with up-to-date gen- 
eral merchandise stores. One of the most prominent of these is 
operated by the well known firm of Johns & Mitchell. The senior member 
of the firm has been written up elsewhere in this work and may be passed 
by here. The junior member, Robert J. Mitchell, was born in New York 
state, in 1864, getting his early schooling in the old log school house there. 
At 18 years of age he moved to Holyoke, Mass., and remained there till 
1889. In that year he came to Burwell and began farming. He took a 
homestead in Loup county and spent five years there. Two years were 
asain spent in Massachusetts, after which he entered the mercantile busi- 
ness. This he did by purchasing the stock of J. R. Alderman & Son, 
which he moved to the old "Michel Store." Later he formed a partner- 
ship with Ed. M. Tunnicliffe, then county clerk. Mr. Mitchell married 
Miss Nannie E. Alderman, November 24, 1892, and has an interesting fam- 
ily of one son and three daughters. The firm remained as Mitchell & 
Tunnicliffe till July 5, 1904, when Mr. Mitchell sold out to Will Johns. But 
in February, 1905, Mr. Tunnicliffe retired and Mr. Mitchell again entered 
the firm, now as the junior member. When Robert Mitchell launched the 
business six years ago he had a stock worth $600. By careful and correct 
business methods this stock has increased till it is now ten or twelve times 
as large. A full line of general merchandise, always fresh and up to-date 
is kept on hand. Johns & Mitchell have succeeded because worthy of suc- 
cess. 

KEY, FARAN'M.— was born in Adair county, Iowa, on November 19, 
1863. When eleven years old he left his home state and with his parents 
moved around considerably. Thus we find him in Cowley county, Kansas, 
later in Benton county, Arkansas, and then back again in Iowa. When 24 
years old he married Miss Annie Wright who became the mother of two 
children. She died in 1893. From his second marriage Mr. Key has five 
children making in all seven. He came to Garfield county in 1888 and im- 
mediately pre-empted a quarter section of land, and in 1901 filed upon his 
homestead. Mr. Key is a popular and public spirited man. He was elect- 



290 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 



ed sheriff by the populist party in 1901 and re-elected two years later. He 
has engaged in the implement business, but at the present gives all his 
time to the plumbing business, and sinking of wells and erection of wind- 
mills. The deepest well in the county — 325 feet — has been sunk by him. 
A sketch of Mr. Key would not be complete without mentioning his busi- 
ness with the U. S. government. The star mail routes of the upper valley 
have been for years in his hands. Thus he contracted to carry the mail 
from Burwell to Taylor and Almeria in 1894 and still controls that route. 
He has likewise the Blake route, and he had the prime route— from Bur- 
well to the mouth of Gracie Creek — till it was discontinued. 

LAVERTY, GUY — is practically speaking a Nebraska product. 
Though born in Black Hawk county, Iowa, when only two years old he 

came with his parents to Ne- 
braska and Cass county. Here 
he spent his boyhood and at- 
tended the rural schools. The 
Lavertys moved to Valley coun- 
ty in 1884 and settled on a farm 
in Geranium township. Guy 
had no inclination to become a 
farmer, so came to Ord where he 
attended the high school. Later 
he taught school for some four 
years and io 18^0 found tine to attend the Fremont Normal school. In the 
fall of 1892 his legal career began. Then he entered the law office of 
Hon. Chas. A. Muun. A year later he was admitted to the bar. He imme- 
diately thereupon moved to Burwell and was elected county attorney in 
1894 and re-elected twice. He has today a very remunerative law practice 
writes insurance and makes a specialty of abstracts. Mr. Laverty is a 
populist in politics. He was married to Miss Emma M. Glover at Ord 
August 31, 1892. They have two children, Cecil and Carmen. Mrs. Lav- 
erty is an expert accountant and stenographer and has been of invaluable 
assistance to her husband in his upward career. ' •Mr. Laverty is very pub- 
lic spirited. In the M. E. church he has been for years a mainstay; on the 
school board he has been elected and re-elected time and again. 

McGREW, I. W.— dealer in general merchandise, is one of the most 
prosperous merchants in the upper valley. He was born at Abbington, Illi- 
nois, February 9. 1863. At eight years of age he came with his parents to 
Missouri. Ho was educated at Laclede Seminary, Lebanon, Missouri, and 
at the state normal located at Kirksville. The commercial world held a 
charm for Mr. McGrew from earliest boyhood. As soon as he felt prepared 
for the work he took to clerking. This was at Lineville, Iowa. Two years 
later he moved to North Loup and opened a small grocery store. Soon 
after this, however, he determined to try farm life, and accordinlgy spent 
two years on a farm in Valley county, but unfortunately lost his crops by 
hail. He then came to Ord and worked for some time in the Harris Cloth- 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



291 



ing Store, and later for B. C. White. He finally bought the B. C. White 
stock of general merchandise and did a very good business. But he took 
the western fever about this time and selling out to Duby Brothers moved 
to Colorado. The western venture was not a success and Mr. McGrew was 
glad to get back to the Loup again. He now opened a small grocery at 
Burwell, investing a capital of $300. A year and a half later the stock was 
moved to a more commodious structure on the north side of the square, and 
a line of dry goods added. In 1900 buots and shoes were also put in. 
Through careful dealing and marked business ability the business grew 
steadily and warranted Mr. McGrew \s removal to the brick block where he 
now is. The store building is one of the best in Burwell, well adapted for 
the display of such fancy goods as are found on the shelves here. Aside 
from carrying a line of general merchandise, Mr. McGrew carries an excel- 
lent stock of fine dress goods, the best of its kind in Garfield county. The 
business which a decade and a half ago started with $800 has now grown to 
an annual volume of $30,000. Mr. McGrew married Miss Ella M. Simmons 
at Ord in 1880- They have four children, one girl and three boys, and are 
nicely situated in their comfortably home in the eastern part of town. " 

SLY, W. J. — was born in Page countv, Iowa, in September, 1862, 
where he resided till sixteen years old. He got his education solely in the 
rural schools and was from boyhood inclined toward the farm After 
spending three years in Ida county, Iowa, he set out for Nebraska and 
reached Willow Springs in 1881. His wife was formerly Miss Ida Beck- 
with. Mr. Sly is the proud father of eleven children who are growing up 
to become useful members of their home community. The Slys moved in 
time to the Calamus and for years farmed there. When the county seat 
difficulties harrowed the county Mr. Sly voted consistently with Burwell. 
He was elected sheriff as a democrat with populistic tendencies in 1887 and 
held the office for two terms. He has also been extensively engaged in 
cattle raising nnd the purchase and sale of all kinds of stock'. He has 
lately moved to town to give his children better school advantages than 
could be gotten on the farm. Mr. Sly is at present city marshal. 

SMITH, ELDON J., M. D.— is a comparatively new man in Burwell, 
but he is already making a name for himself through 
his undoubted ability in his profession. He was 
born at Mechanicsville, Iowa, in 1^79. He received 
a good early education there and later at South 
Omaha, graduating from the high school of the lat- 
ter place in 1895. Like many other young men, 
when determined to make their own way in the 
world, he was for some time variously engaged. 
Thus he worked for some time in the large Ham- 
mond Packing Co. He next attended commercial 
college for a year and then became buokkeeper for 
year was then spent in college work in the Nebraska 
But his natural bent was the medical profession. 




an Omaha firm. A 
Wesleyan University. 



292 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

Accordingly he matriculated at the College of Medicine of the University 
of Nebraska. He attended the full four years and graduated in May, 1904. 
A month later he passed the strict examination before the state board and 
immediately thereafter located in Burwell. Dr. Smith makes a specialty of 
diseases of the eye, nose, ear and throat. His office adjoins the building of 
the new Burwell Drug Company, of which he is also a member. 

Scotia. 

COOPER BROS... BLACKSMITHS AND WAGON MAKERS.— W. T. 
Cooper was born in Saline county, Nebr., in June, 1871. In 1888 his par- 
ents moved to Ord where he learned the trade under J. C. Work. In 1892 
he came to Scotia and opened his shop. E. A. Cooper has been a partner 
with his brother from the first but left the shop in 1900. W. J. Cooper is 
still running the shop and enjoys a big business. 

DELMONT HOTEL— Jay L. Clark is a native of Illinois but his early 
life was mostly spent on a farm in Iowa. In the spring of 1884 he came to 
Nebraska and the next year he came to Scotia. For two years he engaged 
in the hotel business, retiring to the real estate business in 1887. The 
next year he engaged in the livery business on the side. This business he 
still retains and makes a specialty of handling fine horses. In 1900 he built 
the Delmont Hotel, a twenty-room house, which he is now running. 

HICKS, M. M., DRUG STORE.— M. M. Hicks was born in Peoria, 111., 
in 1860. Fourteen years later he came to Adams, Iowa. In 1889 he came to 
Merna, Nebr., and entered the drug business. In 1896 he came to Scotia, 
Nebr., and opened his present place of business. Mr. Hicks carries a 
$2,500 stock and enjoys a good drug business. 

MCMILLAN, J. S„ REAL ESTATE— Mr. McMillan was born in Port- 
age county, Wis., May 12, 1866. However, since 1878 he has lived in Sco- 
tia. In 1893 he engaged in the real estate and loan business. He now has 
an extensive business in this as well as in other localities. 

FITZSIMMONS, G. W., LUMBER, IMPLEMENTS AND FURNI- 
TURE. — Mr. Fitzsimmons was born in Polk county, Iowa, in 1864. From 
1885 to 1891 he engaged in the lumber business in various towns in Iowa 
when he moved to Scotia. At first he had only a lumber business but in 
1894 added furniture and implements. From 1891 to 1901 the firm name 
was Fitzsimmons & Graham and was established in Ord as well as in Sco- 
tia. Since 1901 Mr. Fitzsimmons has run the business at Scotia alone, and 
though at first he did but a small business it has rapidly increased to its 
present large proportions. 

PICKETT, DR. J. J.— was born in eastern Indiana, February 15, 1850, 
and there he received his education. While yet a young man he taught 
school and farmed for eight years, when he began to study medicine. Re- 
ceiving his degree in 1885, he came to Nebraska the following year and 
settled in Broken Bow. In 1900 he moved to Central City, and in 1903 
again, to Scotia. Though Dr. Pickett has been here but a short time he is 
rapidly gaining a good practice. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



293 



SCOTIA MEAT MARKET— Fred Sfcanner : the proprietor, was born 
in Germany in 1861. When 17 years old he came to America and settled in 
Dubuque, Iowa, where he learned the butcher business. In 1884 he came 
to Scotia and has ever since been in the meat business. He has a regular 
meat trade and keeps fresh oysters and fish in season. Mr. Stanner also 
owns the ice business of the town. He is the oldest butcher in Greeley 
county. 

SCOTIA ROLLER MILLS— Dee Vineuore, the proprietor, is purely a 
Loup country product, being born in Valley county and raised in Valley and 
Garfield counties. He married Ethel Moorman of Garfield county in De- 
cember, 1901. He bought the Scotia Roller Mills on August 1, 1904. At 
that time the mills were in bad shape but after expending several thousand 
dollars in repairs Mr. Vinecore has things in shape to do high grade mill- 
ing. The Scotia flour and cereal products are rapidly gaining popularity. 

VAN SKIKE, J. M., HARNESS SHOP— Mr. Vanskike was born in 
Bartholomew county, Indiana, in August, 1856. Here he lived till 1877 
when he came to Scotia. Here he learned the harness trade under his 
father, whom he succeeded in 1894. Mr. Vanskike carries a good line of 
harness and leather goods and enjoys a deservedly good patronage. 

WEEKES, DR. CHARLES M.— was born at O'Connor, Greeley coun- 
ty, March 31, 1882. In 1885 his parents came to Scotia. Here he grew to 
manhood and graduated from the Scotia High School. In 1900 he matricu- 
lated in the Creighton Medical College at Omaha, graduating in 1904. He 
has since been practicing in Scotia and though a young man has had re- 
markable success. 

WRIGHT, MRS. M. J., GENERAL MERCHANDISE AND HARD- 
WARE — Mary Bean Wright was born in Wisconsin. Her parents came to 
Scotia in 1876. In 1883 she married Mr. Ed. Wright. Three years later 
tbey established their present business. In 1896 Mr. Wright died leaving 
Mrs. Wright and her two sons to carry on the business. Theirs is one of 
the largest stores in town. 



Taylor. 
SCOTT, GEORGE P. — one of the most consistent and successful busi- 

ness men in the upper valley is George F. Scott of 

Taylor. He was born on a farm in Freeborn county, 
Minnesota, February 12, 1857. As he grew up his 
inclination for a commercial career manifested itself. 
He clerked in a store for a while and then attended 
the Mankato Normal School, rounding off his busi- 
ness education at the Keokuk Business College. He 
moved to Furnas county, Nebraka, in 1878. There 
^^^- at the small town of Precept, he operated a general 
Lt ifl store till the fall of 1884. September 21st of that 

JLM year he opened for business at Taylor, Loup county, 



under the firm name of Wheeler &_Scott. He soon became sole proprietor 



294 



THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 




of the business, however, and owns and operates today an as completely 
furnished general merchandise store as one may care to see. That Mr. 
Scott is enterprising, thrifty and liked by all is well demonstrated in the 
fact that for twenty years has he been postmaster in Taylor, change in 
national administration having no effect upon his incumbency of office. Mr. 
Scott is now a man of means. He owns 1,080 acres of good farm lands and 
is financially interested in the Cash Mercantile Co. of Burwell and uther 
enterprises. He was married to Delia Farrand December 22, 1885. They 
have one daughter Aurelia and are comfortably situated in their cozy 
home in Taylor, set in a veritable park of shrubbery and climbing vines. 
EMIG, GEORGE P. — druggist and dealer in notions, was born at 
Columbus, Ohio, December, 25, 1849. Here he 
was educated and entered into business. Thas he 
in turn was druggist, dealer in boots and shoes, 
and tanner. His health failed him in 1879 and 
upon 1/is physician's advice he moved west. That 
year he arrived at Ord with his family, consisting 
of wife — formerly Miss Mary Whiteside— and two 
children, Emma (King) and Charlie. He spent 
some three years farming near Ord. A year later 
he established himself at Taylor, only to again re- 
turn to Ord to work in the H. A. Walker drug 
store. In 1886 when there was talk of the Union 
Pacific tapping Taylor he once more located at 
Taylor. But dissappointed in this we soon find him back at Ord in his 
chosen profession. Once more he returned to Taylor, carrying with him 
stock, building and all. Today he is the only druggist in Taylor and 
carries an unusually complete stock of drugs and whatever else belongs to 
a well appointed establishment of this kind. 

KRIEGEL, JOSEPH — Taylor's successful manufacturer of harness 
and other leather goods, was born in 1862, at Ras- 
chen, Austria, He was sent to the excellent schools 
of his native country, leaving them when fourteen 
years old to become an apprentice in the manufac- 
ture of harness, saddles, etc. After mastering the 
step of journeyman he became master of trade. He 
now determined to immigrate to the United Statos. 
Arrived here he stopped first at Osceola, Neb., for 
some months working at his trade. He then oper- 
ated a harness shop at Rising City for a short time 
and came tu Ord March 15, 1885. Here he worked 
for Frank Misko lor a few months and then moved to Taylor. Mr. Kriegel 
entered upon business in a small way, investing his total capital of $350 in 
leather and machinery. He commenced operations in a rented building. 
Now he owns his store building and has besides a comfortable home in the 
residence portion of Taylor. He has built up an excellent business, manu- 



Geo. P. Emig, Daughter and 
Grandchild. 




BIOGRAPHICAL 



295 




facturing almost all his goods at home. Mr. Kriegel was married in 1885 
to Miss Mary Wolf and has two children living. 

RUSHO, JOSEPH — the founder of Taylor, came to Loup county in 
1877, and counts himself the eleventh spftler in the county. He was born 
in Wisconsin, May 23, 1850, and remained in his native state till thirteen 
years old. After living for some years in Fairbault 
county, Minnesota, he struck out overland for Ne- 
braska with his family and belongings. From Sioux 
City the course was set for Scotia, thence to Fort 
Hartsuff and later on up the river to the old home- 
stead on the edge of Taylor where he now dwells. 
Mr. Rusho is a successful farmer and land owner. 
But more than this. He is a successful business 
man, and has for years been a leader in political and 
.! . , If^J civil affairs in Loup county. He received his edu- 

Biy mk IB I cation in the common schools of Wisconsin and at 

the Milton Academy, same state. Mr. Rusho was married October 
8, 1872, to Miss Josephine Murry of Delevan, Minnesota, and they are the 
parents of nine children, eight of whom are living. Two sons, Rusho 
Brothers, are engaged in the general merchandise business in Taylor and 
are very successful in their enterprise. 

MOON, ALANSON S. — county attorney of Loup county, was born in 
Schuyler county, New York, December 13, 1857. 
He spent some twenty years of his life in his native 
state going to school, teaching and farming. He 
graduated from the well-known Starkey Academy. 
From New York he removed to Michigan, and in 
1877 he again took up the trail and moved on to 
Loup county. He homesteaded near Kent where he 
remained till 1889. He studied law at Taylor, doing 
in absentia work, and was admitted to the bar in 
1887. He is a very progressive citizen and has been 
engaged in several enterprises both public and pri- 
vate. Thus he has been in the general merchandise and lumber business, 
been county superintendent and for several terms county attorney. He 
married Miss Eva Harvey in 1886, and has three children living. 

MOULTON, JUDGE L. M.— was born in Woodford county, Illinois, 
November 19, 1839. He graduated from Eureka College in 1800 and was 
admitted to the bar in Nebraska June 4, 1874. He came to Franklin coun- 
ty, this state, in 1871, and became one of the founders of Bloomington. 
Later, in 1883, he moved to Loup county, where he has ever since taken an 
active part in public life. Mr. Moulton has seen considerable service as a 
soldier. In 1801 he enlisted in Co. B of the Eleventh Illinois infantry, but 
was discharged. In 18G4 he again enlisted and served to the end of the war, 
taking part in the Mobile campaign. Back in Illinoi-s he served for some 
time as police judge and prosecuting attorney and was judge of Franklin 




296 THE TRAIL OF THE LOUP 

county, Nebr., for two terms. He has also served as judge and attorney of 
Loup county, for two terms in each office. He is at present county judge 
by appointment. Mr. Moulton was married to Permeila Clingman of 
Woodford county, Illinois, in May, 1861. The family is now pleasantly lo- 
cated in the north part of Taylor where the judge takes pride to show his 
friends one of the finest fruit orchards on the upper Loup. 



1906 



